She Came, He Saw, They Conquered
by tigress33
Summary: Alec saw her and wanted her. She came to Seattle to forget her past, but why is White after her? As the world finds out about the transgenetics, maybe, just maybe they can find the love that will save them all. AlecNew Character,ML undertones COMPLETE!
1. The Snubber

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Author's Note: Okay, so I know Dark Angel is long canceled, but this idea has been floating around in my head, and I've decided to finally write it out. It takes place a few weeks after _The Berrisford Agenda,_ so Max and Logan never had those twelve hours to be together or any of that. Okay, hope you enjoy and please review!

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He emptied another shot glass. It still wasn't enough to get him drunk, after who knew how many shots. Thoughts of Rachel kept on creeping into his mind.

"Ginger ale," a tired voice said next to him.

He looked in the direction of the voice. "You sound like you could use some of this," Alec said, raising his newly refilled shot glass and giving her a charming smile.

The girl turned to him. Alec supposed she was Chinese or Japanese, or perhaps both. Her straight dark brown hair fell about three inches below her shoulders. Alec was mesmerized with her dark purple highlights when the lights hit her head just right. Something made him want her, badly. 

She smirked. "No thanks," she replied indifferently. 

Alec could tell she didn't want to hook up, but he always enjoys a challenge. "So, you don't look familiar. Are you new to our lovely city?" he asked, trying to start some pleasant small talk with this very pretty girl. 

"Yeah," she said, sipping her ginger ale.

"Where are you from?" Alec asked. This girl wasn't giving him much to work with.

"Los Angeles," she replied, draining the last of her ginger ale. There was no point in sticking around, she wasn't going to go home with this guy. Albeit he was attractive. "Nice to meet you," she added, while paying for her drink and leaving.

Alec could not believe what just happened. He had actually been snubbed by a girl. Never in his entire four months out of Manticore had he been rejected that badly. Actually, he had never been rejected at all. 

He shook it off as best he could. Just then he spotted a very slutty-looking red-head eyeing him. He smiled at her. Maybe it wouldn't be such a fruitless night after all.

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It was another boring day at Jam Pony for Normal. Packages, packages, and even more packages. If any of his good for nothing workers could move his or her ass and actually deliver them...what was he paying them for anyways?

A female voice broke his internal rant. "Excuse me sir, but do you have any job openings?"

Normal quickly looked up. _Great, another kid looking for work_, he thought. It was true, she didn't look a day over twenty.

"What's you name?" Normal asked grumpily.

"Kris Mariko," the girl replied eagerly.

"Any previous delivery jobs?" Normal asked.

The girl hesitated. "No, sir, but I try hard at all that I do," she stated thoughtfully.

Normal had not received that much respect from someone since Sam left. He sure missed Sam...

"Alright, we'll give it a shot," Normal said. 

Just then, Alec walked by. 

"Hey, Golden Boy," Normal yelled. Alec turned quickly. He already had a package in his hand that he was going to deliver, what more could Normal want? Then he saw her, the girl from The Crash, the one who snubbed him. 

She recognized him as well and smirked. So long as he didn't hit on her, everything would be fine. He was nice to look at anyways, had those classic model looks. 

"Hi," Alec greeted her lamely. 

"Hey," Kris replied.

"Uh, you two know each other?" Normal asked uncomfortably. Sure he was Normal, but even he could sense the tension between the two.

"No," they replied in unison.

"Right. Anyway, Alec, I want you to show Kris how our fine business establishment functions. Kris, pay close attention, I'm handing you over to the finest there is," Normal said, beaming at Alec.

Alec straightened his back and stood proudly, basking in Normal's compliment. 

Kris tried her best not to scoff. "Yes, sir," she said, in the most respectful tone she could muster. 

The formality with which she spoke to Normal made Alec think she might be an X5 he never met. But when he scanned the back of her neck quickly, he saw no barcode. He sighed in relief, having Max around was enough X5 for him. 

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"And then you make sure they sign at the line to show that you really did deliver the package. If you don't, you have to come back to the house and..." Alec's voice trailed off as he remembered what happened when he and Max didn't get the signature from Rachel's father. 

Kris looked at him attentively, wonder when he was planning on completing the sentence. When he didn't, she asked "And...?"

Alec snapped out of his trance. "Uh, and that can be a pain in the ass."

"Oh, okay, right," Kris replied. She sensed that there was more to it than that, but she wasn't going to press him.

"I think that's it, " Alec said. "You now know all there is to know about delivering packages thanks to yours truly," he puffed up his chest as he said this. 

Kris smirked. This guy was arrogant, but she sensed something underneath the facade. 

"Thanks for teaching me, I appreciate it," she said. 

"Anytime," Alec replied, grinning at her. 

For an instant she was transfixed by his beautiful smile, but she scolded herself immediately. She wasn't going to get involved, no matter how tempting it was. 

"So, why did you move here from L.A.?" Alec asked, trying to make polite conversation. 

"There was nothing of worth there anymore," she replied cryptically.

"You know you picked a hell of a city to move to," Alec said as they walked through an ally filled with Seattle's homeless.

"Everywhere is broken. The only thing different about each city is what you leave behind," Kris replied softly.

"What did you leave in L.A.?" Alec asked.

Kris looked at him strangely, a mixture of sadness and thoughtfulness on her face. 

Alec feared he stepped over the line. It seemed like an appropriate question to ask, but he was never sure how to converse with a female. Flirting or having sex with them was so much easier. 

"You don't have to say anything. Sorry to pry," Alec said. He sympathized with whatever this girl was going through or running from; it reminded him of himself.

Kris didn't understand why she couldn't reply to Alec's simple question. What _did_ she leave in L.A.? Her heart, her soul, her purpose of living- she mentally shrugged at the melodramatic list. But there was truth behind it, she'd admit that much. 

She couldn't tell if she could trust Alec. Just the other day it was obvious he wanted to get in her pants, and now he was acting incredibly thoughtful towards her. Maybe he was using a different approach to get into her pants. 

As they reentered Jam Pony, a beautiful girl approached Alec with an annoyed expression on her face. 

"Alec, why there hell do you let Sketchy bet with you over pool? You know he's throwing his money away cuz there's no way he can win. You're stealing from him," the girl said to him.

"Relax, Max. It's not stealing when he willingly gives me the money after he loses. And it's not like you don't _steal _from those idiotic guys who think they can beat you," Alec replied, turning to situation around on Max.

"I'm not taking the money away from a friend," Max retorted. Just then she realized that there was a person next to Alec. "Oh, hi, I'm Max," Max said, extending her hand to this other girl.

"Kris," Kris said. 

Kris seemed nice enough in Max's opinion. "My friends and I are gonna be at The Crash later tonight. Wanna come?" Max asked Kris.

"Um, sure, that sounds cool," Kris replied. 

"Alright. Gotta blaze. Packages to deliver," Max said, leaving Alec and Kris alone.

Alec shook her head. "Geez, her morals are so messed up," he mumbled.

"She your girlfriend?" Kris asked casually. That would have sucked since Alec was flirting with her the other night. 

"Huh? Max? Oh, God no. More like my moral beacon," Alec replied sarcastically.

Kris laughed. _She has a nice laugh_, Alec thought.


	2. The Pool Game

"Okay, I'm never playing pool again," Sketchy declared just as Kris entered the corner of The Crash where Max and her friends were. Sketchy practically ran into her when he turned around to reach for his drink. 

"Woow, hey there," Sketchy said in his best impression of a seductive voice. The effect was ruined when he burped loudly right in front of Kris. The others laughed.

"Poor Sketchy, can't even get a break," a beautiful African American girl said, coming up behind Sketchy. 

Alec chuckled. He was still holding a pool stick.

"I'm OC, short for Original Cindy, cuz there is not otha. And this love struck foo here is Sketchy," OC said, draping her arm affectionately over Sketchy's shoulder. 

"Hi, I'm Kris," Kris said to OC and Sketchy, smiling.

"Hey, Kris," Max said from the other pool table where she was beating her latest opponent. 

"Hey," Kris replied. "So, what's going on?" she asked the group.

"Well, Alec kicked my ass three times at pool, so I'm out $75. It's really not my day, can you tell?" Sketchy said. Kris smiled, he was pathetic, but a good guy. "And Max is in the process of beating her fourth opponent and will be buying us drinks when she's through with that guy."

"That's generous," Kris said, sitting on a stool next to Sketchy, watching Max play. That girl had an undeniable grace in her movements that Kris envied.

"Wanna play?" Alec's voice broke Kris' thinking. 

"I don't bet money," Kris replied honestly.

"We don't have to bet money. What do you want?" Alec replied, smiling seductively.

Kris thought about it for a second. She wanted lots of things- love, contentment, companionship- all of which she doubted Alec could give her. Then it came to her. 

"Sorbet," she stated. "Chocolate sorbet, two pints."

Alec looked at her strangely. Of all the things in the world, she wanted sorbet? Whatever happened to jewelry, or clothes? Weren't girls into that stuff? 

"Alright. But that's gonna cost you. Sorbet is expensive, you know, like $10 a pint. So you're looking at $20. Are you willing to spend $20 on me?"

"I won't have to, cuz I'll win. But for the sake of good sportsmanship, I'll humor you. What would you like?" Kris replied. Alec laughed and Sketchy was falling even more in love with this gutsy girl.

Alec thoughts about it. What did he want? It was pretty simple. He wanted her. "A date with you," he said finally. He hoped she wouldn't get all weird like she did last night and snub him...again. 

Kris frowned. So he was still after her pants. That was too bad, she was beginning to like him, as a friend, of course. "A $20 date? There's no way..." Kris started. 

"Be creative," Alec replied, cutting off her excuse.

He was persistent. And why was he so into her when there was Max and OC, two women who were way more attractive and probably more experienced than she was?

"Fine," Kris replied, getting off her chair and taking off her blue denim jacket. The red spaghetti strap underneath complimented the black pants she was wearing. Alec was amazed. She stood at about 5'5 with a muscular build, _she must have played sports or something_, Alec thought. She smiled as Sketchy offered to hold her jacket for her which highlighted her high cheekbones and brown eyes. She really did look hot, but her attitude was unassuming. She was not like Max who knew she was sexy and flaunted it.

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"Uh oh, Golden Boy, it's not looking too good for you..." Kris teased.

Alec looked at the pool table. No, it didn't look good for him, and he wasn't letting her win either. He resumed his gaze on her figure, staring her up and down while she thought about her next move. She seemed oblivious to his eyes on her. 

Alec sighed. "Where did you learn how to play so well?" he asked.

Kris' features darkened momentarily before she replied, "My boyfriend, Sean."

Boyfriend? "Oh, uh, I didn't know you were taken. Um, we can have a different arrangement for when I win," Alec replied cockily. 

Kris smirked. "That won't be necessary. He's dead, and I'll win. Eight ball, corner pocket," she said, and the ball sank. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. 

The impact of her words wasn't lost on Alec. She had lost someone she cared about, and that was a big deal. Alec could relate and he respected that. He decided then that he wasn't going to try to hook up with her anymore. As far as he was concerned, she was off limits. 

"So, when can I expect my sorbet?" Kris asked, sitting on the edge of the pool table in front of Alec. Damn...she really did look good...but no, he wasn't going to try.

Alec shrugged. "I'll hafta find it. It'll come, I'm a man of my word," he replied. 

Kris almost laughed. 

Sketchy approached her. "Hey, Kris, I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" Sketchy said casually, trying to cover his trembling voice.

Kris smiled. "I'm sorry Sketchy, I'm not much of a dancer," she replied, putting her hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture. She lied, she loved dancing, but just didn't feel comfortable dancing with someone she barely knew. 

Sketchy looked at her hand on his shoulder and grinned. "Okay," he said cheerfully. The way she rejected him didn't make him feel like a loser, and he fell even harder for the girl. 

Alec laughed and Kris turned her attention back to him. "What?" she asked.

"He's crazy about you," Alec stated between chuckles.

Kris looked at him skeptically. "He doesn't even know me," she replied rationally.

"That doesn't matter. Sketchy is a hopeless romantic. He falls for any girl he meets who, as he says it, 'is fine as hell and has a good heart,'" Alec explained.

Kris smiled. "It's flattering, but I still can't understand how he could know."

Alec sighed in exasperation. "Haven't you ever felt that undeniable pull towards someone? Forget that you don't know their name or anything about them, but you know something's there?" Alec asked, reminding himself of the momentary shock he felt when he saw Kris a day ago, and, for that matter, Rachel two years ago.

Yes, she had felt that with Sean, and she had felt that last night with Alec, though she tried to bury it. The latter scared her. "Point taken," she replied, unable to look into his eyes. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for letting me hang with you." 

"Our pleasure. It's refreshing to see someone besides Logan kick Alec's ass in pool," Max said, drinking some of her beer. 

Kris laughed. She figured she shouldn't pry and ask who Logan was. 

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When Kris stepped out of The Crash, the icy coldness shocked her. She had forgotten her jacket inside. Being so close to Alec for so long while playing pool made her so warm, but now she was freezing. As she turned around to reenter the bar, a man in a black trench coat stepped in front of her.

"Kris Mariko?" he asked. His face was cold and he must have been way over six feet tall. There was no way she could get away from him or fight him off, so she decided to comply.

"Yeah?" she asked casually, hoping her fear didn't seep into her voice.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing her arm roughly and practically dragging her away from The Crash. 

"Hey! Get off me! What the hell is this about?" she yelled, struggling to pull free, but his grip was too strong.

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"Man, that girl is amazing..." Sketchy said with a sigh, watching Kris leave.

Max smirked. "She's alright. You gonna ask her out, Sketch?"

"Nah, she didn't seem interested," Sketchy replied sadly, sitting down next to OC at the table.

"That's okay, sugah. The right one will come along," OC replied.

Alec pulled out the last chair at the tale. Looking down, he saw Kris' jacket. It was freezing outside. He grabbed it and said, "Be right back," as he left towards the door.

"Hmm...that boy seems interested too, huh?" OC commented casually.


	3. She Reveals

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Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm so surprised!! Your support makes me happy. Just to make it clear, this is a Alec centered story, so Max and Logan play supporting roles but nothing more. I'm an avid M/L fan, but this story doesn't revolve around them. Nonetheless...give it a shot. I know where this story is going, and I hope you like it. Please review!

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The huge man in the trench coat pulled Kris over to a black car. She didn't get a chance to look at the license plate. Another man in a trench coat came out of the car. He looked beyond cold, beyond icy, as though completely void of anything resembling human emotions. 

He looked at the man holding Kris. "Is this her?" he asked him.

"Yes, sir," the other man replied.

The second man looked at Kris carefully. Kris felt terribly uncomfortable under his harsh gaze, but she refused to not return the eye contact. 

"I'm Agent White," the second man said, flashing some sort of badge. "I just want to ask you a few questions."

"What is this about?" Kris asked assertively.

Agent White pulled out a picture from inside his jacket. "Do you recognize this man?" he asked her.

She struggled in the other man's grip, but he released her this time. She walked towards Agent White and looked at the picture. It was of Sean, her Sean. Kris panicked. What was an agent doing with Sean's picture?

"Again, what is this about?" Kris asked, but this time her voice wavered.

"Just answer the question," White replied, moving his trench coat to expose a gun by his side, then shifting the jacket back to its original position. 

Kris gulped. There was no way she could run. A giant was behind her and an agent with a gun was in front of her. 

"Sean Verima," she said softly.

"How do you know him?" White asked.

"He was my boyfriend."

White made some sort of signal to the man behind Kris and she felt hands on her again. Something wasn't right. A federal agent wouldn't do something like this.

She started screaming. "Get you hands off me! No! Stop! Let go!" She struggled relentlessly as he tried to push her into the car, but it was a losing battle.

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Alec looked around, trying to find Kris. It was freezing outside, so she couldn't have gone far without realizing she was missing her jacket. 

Then Alec heard screaming. "Get you hands off me! No! Stop! Let go!" Each plea sounding more and more desperate. It was Kris. Alec ran towards the screams.

When he turned the corner, he saw a man trying to shove Kris into a black car and another man with a smirk on his face watching the whole ordeal. White. What the hell was going on?

"White!" Alec yelled. The man holding Kris loosened is grip momentarily, and Kris took this opportunity to step on his foot hard and kick him in his groin. But the man didn't even flinch. He was surprised, but not hurt. 

_What the_...was all Kris could think before the man slammed her against the car. 

White turned in Alec's direction and smiled. "Ah, 494, what a pleasant surprise." He stalked forward towards Alec and drew his gun. Alec barely had enough time to dive behind the side of the car before shots rang out. Alec ran around the front end of the car and came across a badly beaten Kris and one of White's men. Alec punched the man squarely in the jaw, but the man took no notice. 

_Crap! Those cult guys_, Alec thought right before the man punched him. Alec staggered back and grabbed a trashcan from the side of the alley. He threw it at the man fiercely, knowing full well now that punches wouldn't help against his opponent. The distraction gave Alec just enough time to scoop Kris up in his arms and run away from the car.

"After him!" White yelled.

Alec heard the footsteps gaining on him. He turned the corner and looked down the bare street. There was a pothole. He quickly opened it and said, "Get down there," to Kris, who climbed down the ladder. Alec followed and closed the top. He could hear the footsteps fade away as the men ran down the street.

Alec turned to Kris. The sewer was pretty dim, but he could still see her panting form clearly. 

"Who are you?" he asked firmly.

Kris looked at him sternly. "Kris Mariko. Who the hell are you? How do you know that guy? What the hell does he want with me?" she asked frantically.

"I don't know how he knows you. You never saw him before?" Alec asked, trying to assess whether Kris was telling the truth.

"No, I don't know who he is. He showed me a picture of Sean and asked if I knew him. I said _yes_ and then they were trying to put me in the car."

Alec thought about it. She looked genuinely scared, which was a big difference from her usually calm exterior.

"Okay," he said. I know a place you can lay low for a while. C'mon," he said gently, extending his hand for hers.

She looked at him critically. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked calmly.

"Ah, shit! I just risked my life for you back there! Look, I'm gonna take you to Logan's place. He has a nice apartment, and he's loaded. Geez...you save someone's life and they spit it back at you," he replied, annoyed.

"Well, excuse me! I just got bullied around and slammed on a car because I recognized a picture of my dead boyfriend the third day I'm in this shitty town! So, I'm sorry if I'm having trouble trusting people, especially someone who knows that White guy and was called some weird number, 4-9-whatever!" she yelled back.

Alec sympathized, he never thought about what she could be feeling or thinking. 

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll explain everything when we get to Logan's okay? Just, please, trust me. If I do something stupid, I'll buy you three sorbets." he added, smiling and extending his hand again. 

Kris smiled back slightly. Where would she go anyway? Her motel room was probably ransacked by now. "Deal," she replied, taking his extended hand. 

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Alec prayed Logan wouldn't mind helping out. Then again, Logan had that White Knight complex where he was willing to 'save' anyone he could. 

The door to Logan's loft swung open.

"Alec," Logan said, clearly surprised. He looked at the younger man; he was slightly beat up, a swollen lip and a red bump on a cheekbone. "Come in," Logan said, wheeling out of the way to let Alec in. Logan hadn't even noticed the young girl with Alec until then. She was clearly scared about whatever had happened, though she tried to hide it. 

Alec stopped after he and the girl entered. 

"This is Kris. For some reason, White is after her. We just needed a place to go to and you were the first person I could think of," Alec said truthfully. 

Logan was pleased that Alec thought rather highly of him. He looked at the girl, Kris, again who was looking around the apartment.

"Hi, I'm Logan," Logan said, extending his hand upward towards her. 

"Kris. Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me out," Kris replied, smiling at the handsome man in the wheelchair.

"My pleasure. Should I call Max?" Logan asked Alec.

Alec thought about it for a second, "Yeah, I think so."

"Alright," Logan said, picking up the phone. 

"Alec, why is Logan calling Max?" Kris said, utterly confused.

"Max has had contact with White. Don't worry, she's very trustworthy," Alec said, placing a comforting hand on Kris' shoulder.

Kris' head was swimming with all these fragments of information. Alec, Logan, and Max knew of White. White knew her. And she knew none of them well at all. 

"Max is on her way. Kris, can I get you anything? Any food? Drink? Shower?" Logan asked, trying to ease the tense girl.

"Oh, a shower sounds wonderful," Kris confessed. Being handled like luggage and beaten up by White's freakish goon made her feel particularly dirty and sore.

"Sure, I'll get you some towels and clean clothes. Follow me," Logan said, wheeling towards his room and adjoining bathroom.

When Logan came back into the living room, he asked, "Who is she? She seems nice, but, if White knows her..."

"She didn't know how White knew her," Alec said, coming quickly to Kris' defense. He felt that need to make it clear to Logan that Kris was not the bad guy, though he honestly wasn't sure himself. _Manticore would have been so disappointed if they knew what I have become_, Alec thought, _a semi-trusting person. _

Fifteen minutes later, Max arrived and Kris was still in the shower. "How do we know she's telling the truth?" Max asked suspiciously.

"We don't know. It's called trust, Maxie," Alec replied cockily.

Logan cringed at Alec's term of endearment for Max. Max simply looked annoyed.

Kris appeared a few seconds later clad in Logan's black T-shirt and blue sweat pants. Both were too big on her, but she felt incredibly happy. 

All three looked at the smiling girl strangely. Max felt a twinge of jealousy that a girl Logan knew nothing about was wearing his clothes. She never got to wear his clothes. Then again, she had sets of her clothes at his apartment. Alec felt envious that Kris wasn't wearing his clothes mixed with a strange desire to snuggle next to her - she looked so comfortable. Logan was just wondering why she had such a strange grin on her face. 

"You have hot water," Kris said dreamily to the trio, explaining her happiness. She hadn't had a hot shower in months. 

Max, Alec, and Logan burst out laughing at her statement. Alec looked up into her sparkling eyes. Kris' delight in the small pleasure of a hot shower showed her innocence behind the walls she usually held up around herself. Alec was drawn to that for some reason. Maybe it was because he was never innocent, no he was innocent to a point during his time with Rachel. His affection for Rachel was innocent, but dangerous. He snapped out of his momentary trance and refocused his attention on Kris. He wasn't going to fall for Kris like he had fallen for Rachel. It was deadly.

When they all sat down on Logan's couches and chairs, Kris began her story as they asked her to do.

"Six months ago, my boyfriend, Sean, died. We met about two years ago at a party, I was seventeen then. We started dating five months after we met. He was nineteen at the time," Kris started.

"Can you tell us about him?" Max asked. She needed to know what it was about that guy that White was so interested in.

"Well, physically, he was about Alec's height, had dark brown hair and green eyes. Well built. He was considerate, which initially caught me off guard. I kept on expecting him to turn into some sort of monster who just wanted me as another notch on the bedpost, but it wasn't the case. It took me five months to trust him enough to let him in. Um, he taught me a lot of stuff too. How to play pool, how to defend myself, you know just stuff. Anyway, six months ago, the cops came to our door, we were living together, telling me that Sean died in a car accident. He was driving home from the market and an oil tanker swerved and hit him. His body was burned beyond recognition, they said." Kris swallowed hard. She wasn't going to cry, she was through with crying.

"So, after the funeral, I tried to have a normal life, but it just felt all wrong. Everything reminded me of him. Eventually, I saved enough money to get out of Los Angeles. I decided that the furthest I could afford to go was Seattle and here I am. Today, White's guy stopped me before I went back into the Crash and took me over to White. White flashed a gun after I gave him some lip, and he showed me a picture of Sean. He asked me if I knew him and I said _yes_. There was no way I could fight my way out of the situation. So, the guy grabbed me and tried to push me into the car. And then Alec showed up. White called him some number 4,9, something. I tried to get away. I kicked the guy in the crotch, but he didn't even flinch. It was so weird, like he didn't even feel the pain. I mean, that should hurt like hell, but it was like he felt nothing." 

Logan, Max, and Alec exchanged glances, knowing full well why that guy felt nothing. 

"What?" Kris asked her audience.

"Nothing," Max replied. "You can go on."

"That's basically it. Alec got me out of there and now we're here," she said, looking over at Alec with a small smile on her face. Alec smiled and nodded.

The three in the audience became quiet, each trying to assess the validity of Kris' story.

After long minutes of silence, Kris asked, "So, can you guys enlighten me as to who this White guy is and why he wants me and why he called Alec a number and who exactly you guys are?"

Max looked up at her from her thoughts. There was something in this girl that made her want to trust her. Her story seemed truthful, but she could never be 100% positive. 

"You swear you're telling the truth. Your story, the fact that you don't know White, all of it?" Max asked.

Kris' eyes narrowed. "You think I'm lying? I spill my guts you people who I don't even know and you think I'm bullshitting the death of my boyfriend?" Kris asked fiercely but in an even tone.


	4. What are Transgenetics?

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoy! Please Read/review

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_A catfight might ensue_, Alec thought. Part of him wanted that.

Max looked at Kris straight in the eye. "I'm just saying that if you are lying, I will find out and you will..."

"Okay, enough with the threats. I think she gets it, Max, back off," Alec said. 

Max looked at him, surprised. He was defending a girl he barely knew over the person who saved his ass more than once. _Disgusting_, Max thought. 

"I understand, Max. You will literally have my head on a platter," Kris said calmly. "But I'm not worried. It's the truth, all of it," she added. She looked at Max straight in the eye, she wasn't going to get bossed around by her, although Max look very tough when she wanted to. "Now, are you going to tell me what you know?" Kris asked.

Max thought about it. Maybe she had pushed it a bit too hard with Kris. Maybe it was good that Alec cut her off mid-threat. Maybe she should explain everything to Kris.

"White is a FBI agent, but it's a front," Max started off. "He's a member of a cult that has existed for thousands of years. They do this selective breeding thing to perfect the race. Through this process, they have become super humans. They can run fast, jump high, and feel no pain. That's why the guy you kicked didn't react. He was one of those people. I don't know why White wanted you though or why he had a picture of Sean."

"So, how do you guys know White then? Are you rogue cult people or something?" Kris asked, bringing her knees up to her chest on the black leather couch she was sitting on.

Max and Alec looked at each other for what seemed like ages. Max then looked at Kris and then back at Alec, giving him a nod of approval. 

Alec turned to Kris. "You must understand that what we tell you, if you tell a soul, you'll be endangering all our lives and yours."

"I understand," Kris said quietly, looking straight into Alec's eyes.

"Have you ever heard of transgenetics?" Alec asked.

"Um, no," Kris replied, looking puzzled.

"Well, Max and I are transgenetics. We were genetically engineered to be soldiers. We have faster reflexes, run faster, and are stronger than regular people."

"Like super humans?" Kris asked, not quite believing what Alec was saying.

"We're not all human," Max added. "We have cat DNA that makes us have night vision, and other animal DNA, which enhance human features."

"Oh, geez..." Kris said, putting her head in her hands. "So that's how you're different from those selective breeding cult people?"

"No, we also feel pain," Alec said. Kris' head shot up and she looked at his swollen cheek and lip. 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly to him.

"No, don't be," Alec replied confidently.

"Um, ok. Well, what about the number thing? 4...9..."

"Right. That's my ID number. I was X5-494. Max was X5-452. It was what we were referred to as," Alec said.

"You didn't have names?" Kris asked.

"They really didn't encourage anything but killing and executing missions," Max said harshly.

"That's sick!" Kris said angrily.

"Yes. I escaped with others in 2009. Alec has been free for only a few months since I destroyed the facility," Max explained.

Kris couldn't believe it. Alec was free for only a few months? He looked like he was about twenty. He spent twenty years in a place like that? Where they treated people like weapons and nothing more? Kris started to feel sick. No wonder there were so many walls around him. She understood his cocky attitude as a defense mechanism now.

"Kris?" Logan asked, trying to draw her out of whatever she was thinking.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. It's just a lot to process. So, you're not, um, a transgenetic, Logan?"

"No," Logan replied, chuckling slightly. "I'm just a friend."

"Oh, okay. So, uh, where does White fall into all this?" Kris asked.

"Well, White hates us because we are man made while his cult has been perfecting themselves for thousands of years. We're freaks, blasphemous freaks in their eyes," Alec said. "His goal is to kill all of us."

"Shit..." Kris said quietly. "So, just so I'm crystal clear, you guys aren't like vengeful murderers or something? Like White?" She realized this was a stupid question, if they were murderers, they wouldn't confess that to her.

Max and Alec laughed. "No, were just trying to have a normal life. You know, a job, a place to stay, friends, love," Max said, looking in Logan's direction. Logan smiled. "But if our lives are in danger, hell yeah we'll fight back," she added with a smile. Kris smiled back.

"You're taking this quite well," Alec commented.

Kris turned her gaze to him. "Well, what did you expect?" she asked curiously.

"You to scream and call us freak and run out of here and every time you see us to run in the opposite direction," Alec replied jokingly.

Kris laughed a little. "That's not my style. And besides, you guys are gorgeous, not freakish in the least, and you saved my ass, so I really have no basis to do any of those things," she replied.

"See," Alec said, turning to Max, "I knew she wanted me."

Max rolled her eyes and Kris threw a pillow at his face. 

"Oh no, you did not just do that," Alec threatened, smiling as he came towards Kris. 

"Children, children, please," Logan said tiredly. "It's late. Kris, you can stay in the guestroom tonight."

"Thanks. My motel room is probably ransacked. Damn White..." Kris said under her breath. 

"I'll come by in the morning and we can head over to the motel. Get your stuff and take it somewhere," Alec offered.

"Thanks, but I don't want to intrude," Kris replied,

"Just look for a place and until you find one and get settled in, stay here. It's not an intrusion," Logan insisted.

Max felt a pang of jealousy hearing Logan offer the room she usually stayed in to Kris, but Kris needed it a lot more than she did at the moment. 

"Um, okay, thank you," Kris said, smiling.

"And I promise we'll find out why White is hassling you," Max stated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Kris and Alec went to the motel and Kris' room had been torn apart as expected. Nothing was actually taken, and Kris took all her belongings to Logan's place.

"I swear, if White could feel pain..." Kris trailed off angrily, throwing the last of her stuff into Logan's guestroom violently.

Alec chuckled, seeing her so angry. 

Kris faced him squarely, silently demanding for silence. Alec obliged.

"Let's go look for a place for you," Alec suggested.

Kris looked at his strangely, trying to figure out why he was being so nice to her. He had already saved her life and it was almost same to assume that she could trust him, but Kris just couldn't give away her trust that easily. She tried to find deceit in his eyes, almost hoping she'd find it, but there was nothing but that cocky attitude.

"Okay," she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This one is perfect," Alec said.

"Yeah?" Kris asked, leaning on Alec's arm to read the newspaper ad with him. Alec smiled inwardly as he felt her body against his. She was beginning to trust him. "Okay, let's check it out."

"Good," Alec replied, folding up the paper and leading the way to a prospectus apartment.

It was small, but enough for Kris' needs. It had a fully functioning bathroom, one bedroom, a small living room, and a kitchenette.

"This is the nicest one yet. Get some Spackle to fill in the cracks and some paint," Kris mumbled to herself while touching a wall lightly. 

"Lady knows what she wants, eh?" the landlord commented to Alec. He was a balding man in his early fifties. Alec smirked and nodded in agreement.

"I'll take it," Kris said, emerging from the bedroom.

Great, paperwork in the lobby. You can move in as soon as I have the first month's payment," the landlord said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	5. Sorbet and Ginger Ale

Within four days Kris was settled into her new place. Minus the ominous presences of White somewhere in the city, Kris was pretty happy. White had not tried to abduct her again, but she was never without a "chaperone" as Alec sarcastically put it. It was about ten at night and Kris was sitting on her new, second-hand couch for an evening of quiet reading when she heard a knock on her door. She froze, she never had a visitor before.

Checking her peephole, she saw Alec. That was odd, he should have been at The Crash. She opened the door and greeted him.

"Hey," he replied, holding something behind his back. "I just wanted to give you this," he said, revealing a brown paper bag. 

She looked at it curiously before taking it. Her whole face lit up when she saw what was inside.

"Sorbet! Ah! Thank you!" said cried out, hugging him. That had been the most physical contact they had since they met a week ago. Kris pulled away slightly, but Alec still had his arms around her waist. She didn't struggle, she really didn't want to. His lips were so close to hers...but something told her _no_. 

"Um, do you, um, wanna come in?" Kris asked quietly, averting her eyes from his lips.

Alec looked at her quizzically, wondering if there was a second meaning behind her words. It didn't seem like something she would do, which was why he liked her so much. He had respect for her.

The long pause made her realize that her question could have been misinterpreted. 

"I meant for sorbet, no sex," Kris added dryly.

Alec released her from his grasp. "I knew that," he replied cockily as he followed her into the apartment.

Kris grabbed two spoons and opened on of the pints of sorbet gleefully.

"Yummy, yummy, yummy," she chanted while sitting on the couch Alec was already on and handing him a spoon. 

Alec laughed. This was the second time he saw a little luxury completely brighten her face. He loved that about her. It made him want to take as much enjoyment as he could from the little things in his life - like spending time with her.

"Laugh all you want, Golden Boy, I don't care. This stuff is heavenly," she said, taking a spoonful and savoring it. 

Alec smirked, taking a spoonful and tasting what the big deal was with the stuff. It did taste really good, not a creamy as ice cream. His smirk turned into a genuine smile.

"See," Kris said, pointing at his face, "even you like it."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Alec asked while taking another spoonful.

Kris shrugged. "Just that you seem like a guy who's hard to please." She watched him at The Crash as he played against other guys for money. He liked winning, but he didn't seem happy. 

"I'm a man with simple needs," he said defensively with his cocky smile now playing on his lips.

"Oh, do tell what those needs are," Kris teased, crossing her legs on the couch as she faced him.

"Food, alcohol, money, women," Alec listed. "But not necessarily in that order."

"Ah..." Kris said, lifting her eyebrows . "What comes first?"

Alec thought about it momentarily before answering, "Money."

"Huh, I'd have thought it'd be women," Kris replied absently, taking another scoop of sorbet.

"No, money cuz you can buy food, alcohol, and women with money. Money is the key," Alec said, somewhat sagely. 

Kris wasn't sure if she was supposed to laugh at this. It was funny but in a pathetic way. Paying for women? She was well aware there was prostitution, but Alec didn't seem the type who would need to pay for sex.

Alec wondered if he said something to upset her. He was still getting used to just talking to her since he never really wanted to talk to women before. 

"Kris, what is it?"

"Huh? Oh, its just that you never struck me as the type who would have to pay for sex," she replied honestly.

Her blunt reply shocked Alec. Was he supposed to take that as a compliment? Her face showed no trace of mockery when she said it. But he had paid for sex several times, he just didn't want to be alone sometimes.

"Uh, thanks?" Alec asked, taking another spoonful of sorbet - the stuff was addicting.

Kris chuckled. "I notice how the girls at The Crash look at you. They're tearing your clothes off with their eyes. No wonder you have such an inflated ego."

"Hey! I can't help it if I'm desirable..." He couldn't finish his sentence because a pillow was thrown at his face. "What is up with you and pillows?" Alec jested, hitting Kris with one in return.

She giggled like a child, hitting Alec again. Alec grinned madly as he lunged at her, pinning her on the couch under his body and tickling her mercilessly. Kris laughed hysterically, struggling under him.

"Okay, okay, stop, I give," Kris cried out, laughing as her hands were pinned over her head by Alec's.

"So, admit it," Alec said, no longer tickling her.

"Admit what?" Kris said between gasps.

"That I'm desirable," Alec replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kris looked at him above her, his hazel eyes dazzling with playfulness. His brown hair was slightly matted down on his forehead with sweat, but he wasn't panting at all. _Must be the X5 training_, Kris mused. She impulsively stroked his hair away from his forehead. It was soft and slightly damp. 

She once again caught Alec off guard. He knew this was no invitation for a kiss or sex or whatever like it had been with other girls touched him like this. He saw that Kris had no idea of the spell she was putting him under. She wrinkled her eyebrows and looked straight into his eyes.

"Eh, you'll do," she replied casually to his question, her eyes glittering with mockery.

Alec was just about the resume his tickling when his cell phone began ringing. He sighed and got off of Kris, never realizing how comfortable that position was until he was out of it. Kris scooted into a seating position facing him.

"Yeah?" Alec answered the phone, slightly annoyed. "Hi, yeah, yeah, again? Okay, fine, fine, bye." He hung up, deeply annoyed. 

"Very eloquent," Kris commented sarcastically.

Alec snorted. "I have to go. Max needs me for something."

Kris looked at him, puzzled. 

"Max does these crime fighting things for Logan and this one is a two-man job," he explained, getting up from the couch. 

"Huh, learn something new everyday."

"What?"

"Well, I just ate sorbet with a real life superhero," Kris teased.

"Very funny. I'm far from one," Alec said.

"You're doing a good thing," Kris said truthfully, her expression turning serious.

Alec shifted uncomfortably. "Max has saved my ass more than once. So, I owe her," he said, trying to explain his non-superhero status. 

"Okay," she replied, letting the subject go. She hugged him and whispered, "Be careful." 

"Huh, maybe I'll save the world more often if that's my reward," Alec replied, opening the apartment door while giving her a cocky smile. He closed it behind him right after he saw her roll her eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Drinks on me," Max said, coming over and placing a pitcher of beer in the center of the table and a ginger ale in front of Kris. 

"Thanks," the group said.

"No prob. Some loser wanted to play me, even though he saw I beat the crap out of his friend. Men are such idiots," Max replied. OC and Kris laughed while Sketchy and Alec tried to defend their sex to no avail. 

When the protest subsided, Sketchy asked, "Hey, Kris. How come you never drink beer?" He had known the girl now for a month and never seen her drink one drop of liquor.

"Cuz alcohol has a tendency to lead to sex," she replied, sipping her ginger ale.

"And that's a bad thing?" Sketchy replied jokingly, filling his glass with beer.

Alec laughed and he took a swig.

"Well, for me? Yeah. For you? No, you need all the action you can get, Sketch," Kris teased as she patted his head affectionately. Max, OC and Alec laughed heartily.

"Okay, okay, haha. But seriously, have you ever tasted alcohol?" Sketchy asked.

Kris wondered what sparked this whole questioning session. It was probably the fact that Sketchy was getting drunker by the minute. She didn't mind answering his questions though. 

"Yeah. Right after Sean died I got drunk often," she replied honestly. OC and Sketchy knew about her boyfriend's death, but only Max, Logan and Alec knew about White's interest in him. 

Sketchy looked at her dazedly. "So how many people have you slept with?" he asked.

"Boy, shut yo mouth before she smacks you. How many people have _you_ slept with?" OC scolded Sketchy. 

Sketchy thought about it for a second, his drunk mind trying to count. "Six, you?" he asked OC.

"Too many, Sugah, too many fine hunnies," OC replied, smiling. Max laughed heartily. "What? What about you, Boo?" OC asked her best friend.

"Me? Four," Max replied.

"Huh, too bad it ain't five," OC commented, alluding to Logan. They had yet to find a cure for the virus that would kill him if Max touched him.

Alec chuckled while Max blushed. 

"Oh shut up, Alec. You probably don't even remember all the people you've been with," Max fired at him.

"That's true, Maxie," Alec said, his eyes filled with amusement. 

That was the one thing Kris didn't like about him, he practically went after every female he could. The routine got boring as she watched him approach women constantly. But this one peeve did not stop Alec and Kris from becoming friends. He would come over to her place often or she would go to his apartment to watch movies or talk or eat. She realized that she was probably the only woman he knew, besides Max who loved Logan and OC who was a lesbian, that he hadn't slept with. She intended to keep it that way. 

"What about you?" Alec asked Kris, bringing her thoughts back to the current conversation.

"Um, two," she replied.

"Two?" Sketchy repeated loudly. _Wow, he was really annoying when he was drunk_, Kris thought. 

"Yeah," Kris replied confidently.

"I'm surprised, you're very attractive, you know..." Sketchy said drunkenly.

"Yeah, but she ain't easy, Sketchy, so stop trying to pick her up," Max said.

Everyone laughed except Sketchy. 

"I hope one of them wasn't Alec," Sketchy mumbled.

Kris laughed, looking at Alec who was also amused at his intoxicated friend's comment.

"No, Sean and a one night stand. I was so smashed once that I woke up naked in some hotel room next to a guy whose name I didn't even know. That's why I don't drink," she explained casually. 

Sketchy nodded his head and soon passed out. 

Alec thought about what she had said, understanding now why she was so careful in trusting him. The people who knew her intimately were either dead or a complete stranger. He wanted to hug her, but she said it in that casual tone, which Alec knew meant 'it's no big deal,' despite the fact that it was. He had spent enough time with her to understand her subtleties - that scared him to a point because didn't that mean she knew his?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please review! Thanks bunches!


	6. The Blue Toothbrush

****

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful reviews. They mean so much to me. Anyway, this chapter is just to establish the Kris/Alec friendship before moving on to the WAY more exciting stuff. I hope you're enjoying the story! Please review!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love this movie," Kris commented while sitting on Alec's couch in front of his salvaged plasma screen TV.

"What is it?" Alec asked from his kitchenette. He was getting a pint of mango sorbet from the freezer. 

"Gladiator," Kris replied. There was no response. "Pre-pulse movie. Won the Academy Award for best picture one year. It's got love, honor, great fight scenes, and hot guys. What more can a girl ask for?" Kris explained. She had forgotten that Alec hadn't seem films during his time at Manticore. He had talked about the brainwashing videos X5's were forced to watch once, but no entertainment films. 

"Sounds nice," Alec said, jumping over the back of his couch to sit to the left of her. He handed her a spoon and placed his right arm on the back of the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder and took a spoonful of sorbet.

"Thank God today was payday," she commented to him as she ate.

He smiled, "Yeah, Normal is definitely responsible for our sorbet addiction."

"So, where were you yesterday? Missed you at The Crash," Kris said.

"Oh, I was out stealing money from the rich to give to the poor...again," he deadpanned. 

Kris laughed. "Yeah, it still shows," she said, touching his slightly bruised cheek gently. He must have been hit pretty hard for her to see the bruise still twenty-four hours later.

Alec smirked. "All in a day's work," he replied cockily. Kris rolled her eyes. 

They watched the movie in silence. 

It had been nearly six months and no sign of White. Kris and Alec had become what people would call "best friends" but they never felt the need to give a name to their relationship. 

Alec was amazed that he could remain friends with a beautiful girl for so long without either pushing her away or sleeping with her. It even began to bother him that he wasn't as obsessed with other women, that she could have that effect on him. When he was with Kris, he happier than he was with any other woman at any other time. Although he cared about her as more than a friend, he was never sure how she felt about him. He knew she trusted him now, but she had gone through so much that he wasn't sure she would trust him with her heart. Although he stuck to his premature vow of not getting involved with Kris, if she would have him, he realized that he wanted her. And it was a weird feeling to him because he wanted all of her. He had never wanted a complete person before, even with Rachel, he had barely known her.

"You're right, it's a great movie," Alec said as the credits appeared on the screen. Silence.

"Kris?" Alec asked, looking down at his friend. She was asleep on his shoulder. He smiled, she looked so vulnerable when she was asleep.

He gathered her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom, placing her on the bed. 

"Alec?" Kris mumbled as he covered her with blankets.

"Shh, go to sleep," he replied softly. 

"Kay," she replied as he left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It smelled like Alec, a musky vanilla smell. Why did it smell like Alec? She fully opened her eyes and realized she was in Alec's bed. She wrinkled her eyebrows in frustration. Alec had given her his bed again while he slept on the couch. She didn't mind sleeping on his couch, although it was a little lumpy.

She got out of bed and headed to the kitchenette. Alec was making instant coffee with his back facing her. She gasped slightly. No matter how many times she saw him without a shirt, she was always surprised by how tone his body was. He had such a nice back...

"Morning," Alec said, turning around and breaking her trance on how amazingly his shoulder blades moved.

"Oh, uh, morning," Kris replied, blushing slightly because now she saw his chest which looked, for lack of a better word, yummy. "You didn't have to give me your bed again, really. I don't mind the couch."

"Yes, you would mind the couch. It's fine, I feel very chivalrous giving you the bed," he replied, cocky smile on his face. Over the six month period Kris knew that underneath the cocky smile was a good heart. And that was what mattered. 

Kris laughed. "Right...I'm gonna go brush my teeth." She walked into the bathroom and reached for her blue toothbrush that she kept at Alec's apartment specifically for this reason. She couldn't help but smile. She saw a shirtless Alec first thing in the morning, it was going to be a good day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kris opened Alec's apartment door quietly a few days later. He was probably still asleep, and they had work in half an hour. If Kris didn't come over every morning to wake his sleepy ass up he would have probably been fired for always being late. Then again, Normal adored him. She slipped Alec's key back into her pocket and opened his bedroom door.

"Wake up, sleepy head. I brought..." Kris couldn't finish her sentence. Her voice got caught in her throat. 

Alec woke up, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, hey, Kris," Alec said sleepily, smiling at her.

Kris swallowed hard and Alec looked over to his left side. A naked woman was there. _How did she get there? Oh, god, Kris is seeing all this. The Crash...oh shit! _Alec thought. 

"Look, I can explain..." Alec started, but the woman next to him, _what was her name?_, began to wake up.

"Alec, baby, lie back down. It's cold," she said as she snuggled up against the sitting Alec. She then realized Kris was there, "Oh, hello, do you want something?" she asked in an incredibly annoyed and bitchy tone. 

Kris looked at her in silence, not embarrassed but rather shocked. This woman was blond with crystal blue eyes. Her breasts were huge, which made Kris think she was flat as a board. Kris felt terribly stupid and tore out of the room, slamming the bedroom door after her.

Alec sighed in frustration. She saw him with a woman in bed. _Stupid_, Alec, _stupid. _ He cursed himself.

"Alec, come on, let's forget about her," the naked woman purred, gently stroking Alec's bare chest.

"No, stop," Alec said, removing her hand from his chest. "I think you need to go," he said quietly. 

The woman turned icy. "She's Kris, isn't she?" the woman said angrily. _Sandie_, that was her name.

"What? How did you know that?" Alec asked defensively. A million scenarios whizzed through his mind.

"You cried out for her," she said bitterly, putting her clothes on and leaving the room.

Alec's shoulders slumped - Kris had successfully permeated every aspect of his life. He got out of bed and began getting ready for work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kris leaned against the hall wall, her head down and her arms crossed. Why did it hurt so much? It wasn't like they were dating. He was a player, she knew this. Alec rarely told her about the girls he was seeing or sleeping with, but that didn't mean there were no girls. _Stupid, naive little girl_, Kris thought. She was beginning to understand why she was so jealous.

Just then the apartment door opened and Sandie walked out. Kris sighed slightly, Sandie looked like a model despite her disheveled appearance. Sandie looked at her smugly and walked away. Kris shrugged, yup, she was way more gorgeous and sexy and all that than Kris, she couldn't change that. 

A few minutes later the apartment door swung open again and a tired Alec emerged. He looked at her in complete shock. He had expected her to not talk to him for a very, very long time yet here she was waiting for him. Although he wanted to think she was embarrassed, Alec had seen the hurt in her eyes. With other girls he enjoyed watching then be jealous over him, but he didn't want to hurt Kris. He had actually done a good job over the six month period of not hurting her.

"Hey," Alec said softly.

She turned to his slowly, giving a small smile. "Um, I, uh, brought you breakfast," she said, handing him one of the two small brown bags she was caring.

He took it, looked inside, and smiled. Two jelly donuts. "Thanks," he said as they walked out of his building. The walk to work was quiet.

As they approached Jam Pony, Alec stopped walking. He couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence anymore. "Kris, look, I'm sorry about what you saw."

She stopped and turned around to face him. She shrugged. "Its alright. I'm not a little girl, I know what you do," she replied, unable to look into his eyes. She probably would start crying if she did. She scolded herself, she was acting like a little girl.

Her comment hurt, not because it was blunt but because it was true. Whenever he was with Kris, he never needed anything else to feel fulfilled. But, on those days she opted to not go to The Crash, he hooked up immediately with a pretty face to keep his mind off her. 

"Still," Alec started uncomfortably, "I should have been more considerate. You come over every morning." He usually went to the woman's place and left before the sun came up to get some quick sleep in his own bed before Kris woke him up. Sandie, however, insisted on going to his place, and he wasn't one to ask questions.

Kris smiled slightly, Alec was becoming more thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure you had other things besides me on your mind."

_Apparently not_, Alec thought. He nodded slightly in response. 

They continued walking. 

Kris stopped right outside Jam Pony. "Alec?" she asked, looking troubled.

"Yeah?"

"They don't use my toothbrush, do they?"

"What?"

"My toothbrush, they don't use it, right?" 

She shifted uncomfortably as she awaited his response. His answer would address so many layers of their relationship. Did he respect her? Did he think of her in the presence of far more attractive women? Did he view her differently from other women he spent time with. She used to be sure that the answers to all these questions was _yes_, but seeing Alec with another woman gave her so many doubts. 

Alec shook his head. "No, I tell them not to touch the blue toothbrush."

Kris grinned. "Good," she said, as they stepped into Jam Pony. 

"People, people, where have you been? You're half an hour late!" Normal yelled as the two walked in.

"I'm sorry, sir, we'll try harder tomorrow," Kris replied respectfully.

Alec nodded in agreement and Normal let them go without another word.


	7. Dancing

"No, Alec, I'm poor as it is, I'm not going to play you again," Sketchy said, walking away after he lost yet another game of pool. 

"C'mon, Sketch. Maybe your luck will change," Alec said, trying to coax him into another game. 

"Kris, will you please tell _your_ friend that I have no desire to lose more money," Sketchy said, taking a sip of his beer. 

"_My_ friend? Since when was he _my_ friend and not _our_ friend?" Kris asked him.

"He's your friend when he takes my money from me," Sketchy replied, smiling. He had long since given up the quest to date Kris, realizing she made an excellent friend and Alec was completely devoted to her, despite the lack of a title to their relationship. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size? Like Kris?" Sketchy asked Alec.

Alec stood in front of Kris, giving her the puppy dog eyes. It had been two weeks since Kris walked in on Alec with another woman and they had resumed their friendship like it had been before. 

"Kris, please?" Alec whined, holding her hands in his and stroking them lightly with his thumbs. She had grown accustomed to his occasional touch and enjoyed it. 

"Ack! The puppy dog eyes..." Kris said, closing her eyes. Alec's version of the puppy dog eyes was always her undoing. 

"Kris...c'mon, one game."

"Fine, fine. Why do you have such a desire to lose anyways?" Kris joked.

"We'll see, we'll see," Alec replied. Out of the countless times they had played together, Alec only won about thirty percent of the games.

"How much did Sketchy lose?"

"Twenty, why?

"I'm betting twenty then."

"Huh? We never bet money." Sorbet, pizza, dinner, yes, but never money.

"I gotta help out the boy. He's moaning too much," Kris said.

Alec sighed. "That's fine. I can do a lot with forty bucks anyways."

They both laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here you go, Sketchy," Kris said, giving him back the twenty dollars he had lost earlier to Alec.

Sketchy took it hesitantly. "Are you sure? I mean, you won it."

Kris shook her head. "I played for you. Keep it."

Sketchy hugged her. "You rock, you know that? Like major ass kicking, that's what you are!"

"One more," Alec said, coming over and sitting down at the table.

Kris shook her head, "Always quit while you're ahead," she said.

"They sound like an old married couple," Sketchy commented to O.C. and Max. 

"Are you sure you're not..."

"No Sketchy. For the millionth time I've never slept with Alec," Kris replied, slightly annoyed. Sketchy was often a pain in the ass when he was drunk.

"Well, actually, that's not technically true..." Alec jested. 

Kris punched him lightly. "Oh, shut up," she said, realizing there were many instances where she had fallen asleep on him as they watched a movie and he wouldn't bother to move her to the bed. 

"I wanna know what happened," Sketchy complained. 

"Well..." Alec started, smiling mischievously.

"Ug, you are impossible," Kris stated, annoyed.

"You wouldn't have it any other way," Alec replied.

"C'mon, Boo Numba Two, let's go dance while Alec shares his fantasy," O.C. said, grabbing Kris' hand. 

"It wasn't a fantasy, O.C.," Alec said cockily.

Kris rolled her eyes big while being led to the dance floor. 

After he explained his comments to Sketchy, he watched Kris move on the dance floor, mesmerized. She really could dance well, her moments seemed to just flow together. Max chuckled slightly at the transfixed Alec and went off to find another victim to play pool with her. Sketchy had long since passed out. Alec was blatantly checking Kris out and enjoying what he saw, but he wasn't the only one. 

A man stepped in between O.C. and Kris to dance in front of Kris. Kris looked really uncomfortable and tried to go around the tall, black-haired man, but he blocked her way, placing a hand on her back and trying to bring her body closer to his. She struggled and Alec bolted down to the dance floor.

"Hands off my girl," Alec warned fiercely, taking Kris' hand in his. Kris looked at his menacing eyes and realized how he could have been a soldier once. His eyes were deathly cold and his stance stated that he was ready to fight if he had to.

"Sorry, man, I didn't know," the black haired man said, releasing her and walking off the dance floor. Alec turned to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. 

"You okay," he asked gently, his cold stare gone.

"Yeah, thanks," she said. 

"Boo! What a jerk!" O.C. cried out, coming towards them.

"I'm fine, O.C. No worries. Go dance with that cutie I saw you eyeing," Kris said, smiling.

O.C. smirked and left.

"So, um, do you wanna dance?" Kris asked hesitantly. In the six months Kris knew him, Alec never went near the dance floor, so she had never danced with him, ever.

"I'm not really good," Alec warned.

Kris shrugged. "I don't care."

Craig David's _Key to my Heart, _a Pre-Pulse song, blared from the speakers, and Kris and Alec danced. Kris was thrilled with the close contact with Alec and relished the feeling of his hands on her sides and they moved to the beat. He wasn't a bad dancer, just uptight. As Alec relaxed, he danced better and became more daring. He moved his hands to Kris' back, drawing her closer and touching his forehead to hers and they moved. She didn't protest but rather started to sing the words of the song to Alec, who she was pretty certain had never heard this song before.

"_And ever day and night I think about you constantly. Now I know for sure how much you really mean to me. Sometimes a get a rush, and I see how we were meant to be..."_she sang to him. He smiled as he heard the words. She wasn't drunk, so he took it as a message and held her closer as the song ended and a slow song began. It was _Water Runs Dry_ by Boyz II Men, another Pre-Pulse song.

"Do you wanna stop dancing?" Alec asked.

"No," Kris replied, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck. 

She had no idea why she was acting so bold, but she had a realization when Alec stopped that jerk from dancing with her. She really like the sound of "hands off _my _girl." She knew that Alec had said it to protect her, but something inside her sparked. It was as though her heart had been asleep for the past year but was now finally ready to take a chance. Then again, it was Alec and she didn't want to be a tissue - thrown away and forgotten after being used. But she wasn't like the other girls, and she knew that too. She stopped thinking and savored the feeling of Alec's warm body against hers. 

Alec had no idea why Kris was acting the way she way, but he liked it. She was almost being aggressive, and it was refreshing. He didn't know what the next move should have been though. Should he kiss her now? Kiss her at her apartment? Kiss her at her apartment and ask to come inside? He would usually know how to play this kind of situation, but that was the crux of it all. He didn't want to play with Kris. She had seen thought all his games and was still there, in his arms, right then. That amazed him.

The song ended and a fast song replaced it. The intimate mood shattered. Kris slowly pulled out of Alec's embrace, and Alec let her go. 

"I'm getting tired. Let's go to my place," she said, leading the way back to the table to pick up their jackets.

Alec wasn't sure if this time it was an invitation for something more than a movie and sorbet, neither was Kris. They got their jackets and began walking towards Kris' apartment.

"What did you tell Sketchy about us?" Kris inquired as they walked down a dark street.

Alec smiled, he liked the sound of _us_. "I told him that we've slept together lots of times," he answered.

"Unbelievable..." Kris sighed.

"He took it figuratively, not literally. I meant for him to take it literally."

"Sure you did," Kris said incredulously.

"Scouts honor," Alec replied. Kris couldn't help but grin, maybe they would figuratively sleep together tonight.

They turned the corner, only to find a scarily familiar black car and two trench- coated men waiting for them. One of them was White. 

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Please review!! Thanks!!


	8. Naivety

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Author's Note: WARNING...I use the 'F' word four times in this chapter. I think that in the situations these character are in, it's very, very, appropriate. Hopefully, you will agree. Moving on, thank you all my reviewers, you guys are wonderful. I very much appreciate the support. Okay, on with the story!

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"Shit, this is not happening," Kris panicked, fear evident on her face. 

"Go back, go back!" Alec said frantically, pushing Kris backwards around the corner, only to run into another two trench-coated men. "Fuck!" Alec whispered angrily. Four armed cult guys against one transgenetic, he was going to get his ass kicked.

"494, nice to see you again," White said coldly, approaching them.

Alec looked around. They were completely surrounded. Kris gulped hard. _We are going to die on a deserted street_, she thought.

"Kris, looking lovely this evening," White said, finally reaching them.

Kris snorted. "Wish I could say the same to you," she replied cockily. She amazed herself with what she said. That was possibly the worse time for Alec's attitude to rub off on her. 

Alec chuckled slightly. It wasn't a funny situation at all, but if they were to die, then at least White was insulted by Kris.

White smirked. "You think that's funny?" he asked Alec. 

Alec didn't reply. 

"Try this," White said as he punched Alec hard in the stomach, making Alec fall to the ground on his knees. "I find that hilarious," White added maliciously as he took off the brass knuckles he had around the hand he had punched Alec with.

Kris stepped protectively between Alec and White. "Lay the fuck off him! I'm the one who said it," she yelled at White. White was a coward...using brass knuckles on top of his cult-strength. _Damn, I'm asking for a beating_, Kris thought. But she had to try to stall and buy Alec some recovery time. 

Alec wouldn't have fallen to his knees after a punch, especially in front of White, had it not been unimaginably painful. He looked so small against White and his three goons. Kris was terrified.

White looked at her, as though debating whether or not she was worth his time. "Fine," he replied icily, giving her a back-handed slap. 

The blow threw her to the cold, rough sidewalk. It felt like she had been hit with an anvil, so she could only imagine what Alec was feeling. Slowly, she got up. 

Alec was furious that White touched Kris, but he couldn't breath at the moment nor react in any way whatsoever. 

White bent down to Alec, "Get up 494," he commanded. 

As much as Alec didn't want to obey, he would follow the order since Kris' life was in danger.

Alec gasped for breath. "What do you want?" he asked fiercely once he recovered his strength, that menacing coldness back in his eyes.

"Oh, it's all so simple. I want Kris in the car and you dead. Take her," he commanded the man next to him.

"No!" Kris screamed, struggling in the man's grasp. She kicked and hit ferociously, and though the blows connected, they did not affect the man whatsoever. _Damn cult people_, she thought.

"Get your hands off her!" Alec yelled, lunging forward at the man holding Kris, but the two men behind Alec restrained him, slamming him to the ground. 

"Have fun with the freak," White said to the two men who were busy hitting and kicking Alec on the ground. 

"Alec, get out of here!" Kris screamed desperately, still struggling in the man's grasp. She wasn't even sure if Alec was still conscious. 

"Shut her up," White said.

A rag came up to her face and she blacked out.

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Alec grabbed someone's foot and twisted it ferociously as that man tried to kick him again. The man spun in the air and Alec reached inside the trench coat mid-spin for the gun he had spotted earlier. The other man pulled out his gun, but Alec was a nanosecond faster and shot him dead. The man with the broken ankle reached for his gun, realized it wasn't there, but Alec shot him before he could do anything else.

Alec had failed, White had Kris. He cursed himself. He had to get her back. He took out his cell phone and called Max.

"Yeah?" Max said, answering the phone.

"Max! White's got Kris!" Alec answered.

"What?!?!" Max yelled.

"Come pick me up. I'm on the corner of Fifth and Bentley. I got the plates, I'm calling Logan now for a trace."

"Right, coming," Max said, and they hung up. 

Alec dialed Logan's number.

"Hello?"

"Logan! White's got Kris! I need to know the location of a car."

"Got it," Logan replied a few minutes after Alec gave him the license plate. "Sector Four, abandoned warehouse."

"Thanks."

"Meet you there."

Max arrived shortly afterwards on her motorcycle. "You look like shit," she said.

"No kidding. Four cult guys, two down," he said, pointing to the two on the ground. 

"Damn..." Max whispered angrily.

"Sector Four, abandoned warehouse. Logan's meeting us there."

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Kris woke up groggily. Where was she? A warehouse? She looked around, gigantic rusty storage containers and crates littered the ground. It looked like no one was there. She was tied to a chair with coarse rope and her head hurt. Her face and wrists were terribly sore. She was scared shitless. 

"Hey, baby, feeling alright?" a male voice asked her seductively.

"Who's there?" she asked, terrified, trying to regain all of her composure. 

"Aw...I'm disappointed. You don't remember me?" the voice answered.

She froze. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. _"Sean?" _she whispered. But it couldn't be. Sean was dead. Sean was dead. Wasn't he?

"Hi, Kris," he said, emerging from behind a tall crate.

She must have been hallucinating. She must have inhaled something that made her hallucinate. That was the only logical explanation.

"You're dead," she stated to the hallucination in front of her.

"Well, technically, yes. But I'm real. Let me prove it to you," he said sweetly, leaning down and kissing Kris. 

It felt wonderfully real. His warm lips on hers made her feel safe and loved. She had missed this so much. She wanted to touch him with her hands but they were still tied. That brought her back to reality. She pulled away from the kiss.

"Sean, you have to help me! This guy, White, he's here somewhere and he's dangerous. We gotta go help my friend! White's men were beating the crap out of him," she said quickly. She could ask Sean all her questions later, saving Alec was more important.

Sean looked at her calmly, but made no movement to untie her.

"Sean?" she whispered. Why wasn't he helping?

"I can't do that, Kris," he said.

"Huh? Sure you can. Find something sharp and untie me. Alec could be dying somewhere!" Kris replied frantically.

"Ah, Kris," Sean started, shaking his head slightly. "You are so naive...it's almost painful. For someone so intelligent, you don't want to see what's right in front of you."

Kris' head was swimming. She couldn't think. Sean....Sean wasn't helping.

"There's no way in fucking hell I'm gonna help that mutant freak!" Sean yelled at her.

It felt like Kris was hit in the gut, hard, numerous times. She denied it. It wasn't possible. Sean was a considerate, respectful, open-minded person. He was the love of her life. Time and time again he had showed her how much he appreciated her. He had been..._oh God...too perfect_.

"You're one of those cult people. Those thousand-year-old, perfecting-the-human-race people," Kris stated sickly. She wanted to throw up, her head was spinning.

Sean nodded. "Very good Kris, I'm deeply impressed. We're actually called Familiars. You catch on quick," he said sarcastically.

Kris closed her eyes to try and block the cruelty in his voice. It didn't work. "Why?" was all she could ask. She was in shock, no, beyond shock. What was beyond shock?

"Well, you see, the elders pick a mate for us based on our genetic compatibility. We further our race by mating with these people. And well, I matched up with you. So, I made sure I met you at that party two years ago and made sure I did everything in my power to make you fall for me. Who knew you were such a prude? How long did it take to get you in bed? Like a whole year? You have no idea how tired I was with you by the time I fucked you."

He was being so cruel. He had never been cruel. All of it was a lie. Kris felt like crying, but there was no way she was going to cry in front of him. He was her enemy now, she understood that much.

"I never got pregnant," she managed to spit out.

"Actually, you did. Remember when you were late by a week, twice? Well, you egg was fertilized but then it self-aborted. So, you had two miscarriages."

"How do you know this?" Kris asked. It terrified her that he knew more about her body than she did.

"Elders told me so. It takes three tries. Two miscarriages and then the third time you get pregnant, it's one of us," Sean explained.

"I'm not Caucasian," she said. All the men she had seen were Caucasian. Their offspring would be half Asian, if they were to have an offspring at all.

"Ah, yes, I asked the exact same question before I met you. Apparently it is deemed that we have a child. Don't ask me why, but I have a feeling our baby will be very special," Sean said with a touch of sick pride in his voice. 

"You are not touching me," Kris stated angrily.

"Oh, yes, I am," Sean assured her, kissing her roughly to prove his point. Kris pulled away, not looking at him. It hurt too much to think that those two years of her life had been a lie she happily believed. 

"And how is the happy couple?" White asked sarcastically, emerging from nowhere, so it seemed to Kris. 

Sean smirked, Kris ignored him.

"Why did you pretend to be dead?" Kris asked him. That question had been gnawing at her since she saw him. All that anguish she felt when she heard he had died could have been avoided. 

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot that part. I went to the bar the day before I 'died' and a guy was really bothering me. We got into a fight and I killed him. I didn't know that he was an FBI agent, he just looked like a drunkard. Anyway, I was a wanted man and so I got in contact with Ames since he's an FBI agent and he made all the arrangements to stage my death. It was brilliant. I planned to come back for you when the investigation subsided, but then you moved. Ames traced you easily to Seattle, but when he saw you were involved with a transgenetic, it turned into a totally different thing. Assuming you would befriend him, and the other one, the girl, you could be the bait for their demise as well. It was a win-win situation! So, now, the guy is dead thanks to you and the men left with him will contact the girl and tell her where to find you. She will come here, of course, despite knowing that it is a trap, to save her dear friend, Kris. She, of course, will be destroyed."

Kris breathed heavily. All of it was fake, all of it was planned. "Fuck you," she cursed viciously. 

"Patience, Kris, we'll get to that after the girl is dead," Sean replied menacingly. 


	9. Loss of Innocence

"Shit," Alec whispered angrily when he had heard all Sean had said. He and Max were going to enter through the roof when Sean started explaining everything to Kris. They decided to wait until he finished talking, hoping to find out where White was and how many people were on the premises.

"We are getting her out of there," Max asserted. "They think you're dead, so I'll go in alone and you follow me a few seconds later. Get Kris out of here."

"No, we all get out of here together. After I beat the shit out of Sean," Alec replied, infuriated.

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"You never loved me," Kris said quietly.

Sean laughed. "Love was not an issue. My duty was to fuck you and I succeeded. Everything else was a means to that end," Sean stated simply.

Kris was going to be sick. Their entire relationship meant absolutely nothing to him. She wanted to beat him, hard, so he could feel all the pain she was feeling at that moment, but she was tied and he couldn't have felt the pain anyways.

"I hate you," she stated coldly. 

"Ah, Kris, you wound me," Sean said, feigning emotional injury. 

"You have no emotions to wound," she retorted. 

"You shouldn't take it personally, Kris. It was for survival."

"Bullshit Sean! People don't mess with someone's trust and emotions and love like that. You're not a person," she said angrily.

Sean began to laugh. "And you think 494 was? That mutant you spent so much time with wasn't even human! I can't believe you spread your legs to that filth," he said contemptuously, resting his hands on the arms of the chair and leaning over her.

She flinched momentarily at the thought of Alec being dead. She would have to deal with that later. "He had a soul," she stated firmly, not bothering to say that she and Alec had never had sex. "You have no soul." 

Sean sighed, shaking his head. He paced in front of her, as though trying to decided what to say to make her understand. White enjoyed the scene greatly. 

"Don't you see Kris? I am the future," Sean said proudly.

"And I thought Alec had an inflated ego," a third voice said disgustingly.

_Max_, Kris thought, relieved.

"That's her!" White yelled. 

Two men appeared and ran towards her. She was standing on a green crate, drawing all the people over there. They shot at her, all bullets missing her graceful body and she leapt from crate to crate.

Kris watched, trying to struggle out of the ropes that held her hands behind the back of the chair. Her wrists were hurting like hell. She then felt hands on hers and froze. 

"Miss me?" someone whispered.

"Alec!"

"The one and only," he said as he untied her. Her wrists were bleeding. He would kill Sean for all of this.

"Oh thank God!" she exclaimed. He was alive.

"494!" White called out surprised, spotting Alec helping Kris out of the chair.

"I got him," Sean said arrogantly, striding over to them.

Once Kris was free, Alec smiled confidently at her before pushing her out of the way of Sean. 

"What the hell does she see in an unnatural think like yourself?" Sean asked Alec arrogantly as they approached each other. 

Alec responded with a blow to the left side of Sean's jaw. "You will die," Alec said menacingly.

They matched each other blow for blow, kick for kick, initially. But Alec was already injured and began to slow down. He could not block a punch to his own jaw fast enough and fell to the floor, coughing up blood. Alec got back up on his feet only to have his legs taken out from under him before he could react.

"Is this all you got?" Sean taunted, kicking Alec in the gut. "You probably cost millions of dollars to create and train and this is it? Pathetic!" Sean yelled, kicking Alec again.

Alec rolled over in pain. Fresh blood was everywhere - his face, his arms, his clothes. He didn't even know where it was all coming from. He crawled on the floor and tried to get up, but the pain...he couldn't. He was going to die at the hands of a cult jackass and he could do nothing about it. 

"You have nothing!" Sean yelled, kicking him again. "You are an overpriced piece of shit that has nothing!" 

"No, you're wrong, Sean!" a voice cried out.

Sean paused his beating of Alec to look over at the owner of the voice, a quizzical expression on his face. "Kris?"

"He's got me," she stated firmly, firing the gun in her hand. 

The bullet hit Sean square in the forehead and he fell. Dead. 

Alec looked over at Kris. She had turned deathly pale and let the gun drop from her limp hand. She wasn't moving, just staring at Sean's prone body. 

Kris would never really know what happened then. She felt Alec pushing her towards an exit and she heard gun shots and she saw Max running towards them. She felt Logan's soft car seats and heard the car screech off. But that was all she could remember.

She killed the man she loved. She killed the man she loved. She killed the man she loved. No, she killed the man who pretended to be the man she loved. She did not love cult-Sean, she loved the fake Sean. She loved a fake. The man had tricked her for two years. She felt so stupid and...dirty. She had given her virginity, her heart, her soul to someone who just wanted her to make a baby. She vomited, right there on Logan's car floor.

"Shit, sorry," she said in between coughs.

"It's okay, Kris," Logan replied from the driver's seat.

Alec stroked her back silently. 

Kris felt lightheaded. Is this what fainting felt like? She had never fainted before.

"We're here, Kris," Alec said, helping her out of the car. Her apartment.

"Will you two be okay?" Logan asked tentatively. Alec was a bloodied mess and Kris looked like she was about to faint. 

"Yeah, thanks man," Alec said appreciatively. He lead the way to her apartment, opened the door and Kris walked in slowly. 

"I need a shower," Kris said softly, never looking at Alec as she went to the bathroom and closed the door.

She vomited again in the toilet. She rinsed her mouth out and brushed her teeth before taking her shower. Maybe it was a psychological think, but she needed to wash so many things away. She had to try to get this dirty feeling off her, but it would never vanish completely. It was part of her now. 

She could not wash away her past; she could not wash away the fact that she had killed a man, the man she loved, no, the man pretending to be the man she loved...who never loved her. She looked down at the bathtub floor - it was red with blood from her raw wrists. She couldn't feel the pain in her wrists at all.

She had never killed anyone before, she never had a reason to do so. Alec. Alec was the reason she killed Sean. Sean was going to kill Alec. She couldn't have let that happen. That's why she killed Sean. But, wait, what if Alec had been putting on a show just like Sean had been? No, she trusted Alec. She had trusted Sean. She banged the tile wall of her shower in frustration, but never cried.

Kris must have been in the shower for an hour. Alec tried to clean some of his cuts at the kitchenette sink, but he couldn't see many of them nor reach most of them. At least he cleaned up his face. He was in such pain, as though thousands of bricks had been thrown at his body. 

Kris had killed Sean...for him. No one had ever sacrificed that much for him. He wasn't worth it. 

The bathroom door opened and Kris emerged in her white terry cloth robe. She looked more alert than before. She had scared him so badly when they were escaping the warehouse. It was as though she was in a comatose state earlier. 

She looked at him, "You're a mess," she said, horrified. She filled a bowl with water and took out her first aid kit. "Sit on the couch," she ordered.

"I'm alright, Kris," Alec lied. He wanted to know how she was. 

"Bullshit, Alec. Go sit," she ordered.

He sat on the couch and she followed him with her supplies.

"You need to take off your shirt," she said.

Alec tried but he was in such pain that he couldn't even cross his arms to take it off. Kris saw this and something deep down in her knew Alec wasn't like Sean. Alec wouldn't have practically died for her if he was like Sean. 

"Arms up," she said softly. 

Alec obeyed and Kris gently pulled the bloodied, tattered shirt off him. In any other situation Alec would have grabbed her just then and kissed her, but he could see that Kris was thinking nothing sexual through her actions and he doubted he could grab her without feeling a tremendous amount of pain. 

Kris wretched when she saw Alec's chest. There were bleeding cuts and purple bruises scattered all over him. She had tended to his wounds before after he got into fights while helping Max, but this was by far the worse time. Some of the bruises were as large as Kris' fist. She impulsively traced one of them gently with her fingers. No, Alec was nothing like Sean. 

"They're not as bad as they look," he lied again, trying to put her concerns to rest. 

She shook her head. "I don't care how fast you heal. They look like shit," she croaked out. She was almost crying. How could Sean hurt him so badly? She had always though Alec was indestructible.

She dabbed a soft rag in the water and cleaned the blood off his chest as gently as she could. "This will sting," she warned as she reached for the hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the wounds. 

"No kidding," he replied, smiling at her. He inhaled sharply as the liquid burned his flesh.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She was sorry for everything, but couldn't talk more.

"No, don't be," he said firmly, looking at her straight in the eye. He had to make her understand that none of this was her fault. He held her gaze until she finally looked away and bandaged his cuts in silence.

"Turn around," she said.

Alec listened and turned. His back wasn't as bad as his chest. There were a few bruises and two large bloody scrapes. 

Kris repeated the bandaging processed and then said, "Pants off."

"Woow, what?" Alec asked, caught off guard.

She smiled at him slightly. That was her Alec. "You left pant leg is ripped and bloody," she explained. 

He looked down at the leg slowly. "Right, I knew that," he said casually, but he fumbled with his jean button. He couldn't tell if it was nerves or soreness. 

"Stop, stop," Kris said, placing her hands on his. She gently moved his hands away, undid the button and lowered the zipper. Alec cursed himself for wishing they were in another circumstance where he could savor these feelings. Soon he was clad in only his boxers. 

Kris cleaned his leg and asked, "Did I miss anything? You cleaned your face pretty well." He had a black eye, his cheek was swollen, his lip was split, and the gash on his head was covered with some butterfly bandages. "You probably have some bruised or broken ribs, but I don't know how to fix that." 

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Are you hurt?"

"Huh?" She never thought about her physical pain. Her cheek was sore where White had slapped her, her wrists were raw, but other than that, she seemed fine. "I don't think I'm hurt."

"Lemme see your wrists," Alec said, extending a hand for hers. Kris placed her hand in his and sat next to him. He stroked it gently. "You're bleeding," he said, looking at her shoulder. 

"Really?" She felt nothing.

Alec moved aside part of her robe to get a better look at the cut, exposing her shoulder completely. He dressed the cut. 

It scared Kris that she was enjoying his touch so much. Well, why not? Wasn't she seriously considering sleeping with him earlier tonight? That seemed days ago. 

"Kris?" Alec asked, trying to tug her robe back over her shoulder. She wasn't letting him.

She wouldn't look at him. It looked like she was trying to decide something. When she finally raised her head, her eyes were dark. 

"Kris?" Alec repeated.

She didn't reply but rather straddled his legs between hers and kissed him. 

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Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! Please review if you have the chance. The next chapter will be up after Fanfiction.net re-opens. Hope you are enjoying the story!


	10. Desperation

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Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers, you guys rock! It means so much to me that someone is reading my work. Thanks!

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Alec was so shocked that he couldn't respond initially. Was he dreaming this? No, he couldn't have been. When her lips brushed against his at a certain spot, it stung because his lip was split. She pulled away from him for air but didn't allow him to ask questions before kissing him again. He responded hungrily this time, he had wanted this for months. But wait...he didn't want it like this. He could feel Kris undoing the knot on her robe, and he pulled away. 

"No," he said suddenly, keeping her at arms distance. What was he doing? Since when did he say no to a woman?

She looked at him, surprised. "You don't want me," she said quietly.

Alec sighed with frustration. "That's not it. You'll regret this in the morning," he said sadly.

"I don't care," she stated recklessly.

"I care."

"Damn it, Alec! Don't start with the chivalry crap now!" she yelled, frustrated.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna take advantage of the situation," he said with all his strength.

"Unbelievable! I'm throwing myself at you! C'mon Alec, please," she begged, coming close to tears once again.

"No, don't you get it? I want you, but not like this. Not tonight," he confessed, touching her face gently.

Kris closed her eyes, wishing she could enjoy the words he spoke, but she was so confused. "Please...I need this. I need to feel something other than what I'm feeling now," she whispered desperately.

Alec almost gave in. His hands rested on her bare shoulders and as much as he wanted to push the robe down and off of her, he pulled it up to cover her. 

Kris sighed and started crying. She had never cried in front of him before. She was near hysterics. 

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered in her ear as he pulled her in to cry on his bare shoulder. "I'm so sorry." He held her tight and she cried harder. She must have cried for twenty minutes. 

"I was so stupid!" she exclaimed in between sobs. 

"No, he was a good liar. You were careful. Don't blame yourself for trusting him," he said, stroking her back affectionately.

"He never loved me. I let him touch me, and he never cared," she said angrily.

"I know, I heard," Alec said softly.

"What?"

"I heard."

"How?"

"I was on the roof. I heard everything."

"Oh."

He hugged her. He didn't care that it hurt so badly to have her against his battered chest. 

"I killed him, Alec," she whispered, her sobs calming a little.

"I...I'm sorry," he said. He didn't know an appropriate response to that. Selfishly, he was glad it was Sean and not him who had a bullet lodged in his skull. 

"You know what scares me?" she asked.

"What?"

"I would do it again if I had to. I would kill him again if he hurt you. Does that make me a bad person?" she asked.

He looked into her scared eyes. She would do it again? She would go through all of this again...for him? That meant that he was worth all this suffering on her part. He was in such shock that he could mean so much to someone. He shook his head. "You're not a bad person at all, but I'm not worth it," he confessed.

Kris nodded. "Yes, you are," she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Alec's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, still straddling his legs. He stroked her back gently until she fell asleep, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts and the woman who saved his life in his arms. 

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It smelled like Alec. Kris woke up feeling very warm and safe. It took a minute for the events of the past night to come crashing down on her. She sighed in grief. 

"Morning," her bed said. 

She was startled but quickly looked up to see Alec's smile, which comforted her. 

"Oh..." she said sleepily, rubbing the sand out of her eyes. "Shit!"

"What?" Alec asked, worried. That wasn't the first thing he thought she was going to say. 

"Shit," she repeated. "I tried to seduce you!" she said, embarrassed. 

"Oh, that," Alec said. 

As Kris slept, he replayed the entire sequence in his head, remembering now her lips felt on his and how desperate she had been. He didn't like the desperate part, just the kissing part. If only she had kissed him two days ago...everything would be different. 

"I'm sorry. It was so crappy to lay that shit on you. And I slept on you too. You were probably in total pain. My God, I'm such an idiot!" Kris castigated herself as she got off of him. 

"Hey, relax, it was fine. I didn't mind at all. Stop being so hard on yourself," he said.

"Are you okay? Do you need fresh bandages or anything?"

"Nope, look," he said, peeling off a bandage. 

Kris squinted, trying to find any evidence that he had even been cut there, but there was none. She touched it lightly, bringing back memories of the night before for both of them. In retrospect, it was the most intimate they had ever been. But at the time, a shirtless Alec seemed a frivolous detail in the waves of information and feelings drowning Kris alive.

She looked at him. "What now, Alec?" she asked, lost.

The question had so many levels that Alec could have addressed. What would happen with White? Would he come after her now? Probably. What would they do if he did? What would happen between them? Were they still "just friends"? The future was scarily uncertain.

"Do you want food?" he asked. 

She understood why he couldn't answer her question. It was a hard one after all. 

"No, thank you," she said. "I don't want to go to work, either."

"Okay, would you like company today?" he asked gently, going into her bedroom to get a change of clothes he always kept in her closet.

She thought about it. "No, I need to be alone," she stated.

"Oh, okay," Alec replied, disappointed, as he got dressed. "Then I'm gonna head over to work."

"You can work?"

"Yeah, most of the soreness is gone," he lied.

"Oh, okay. Please be careful," Kris requested.

He smiled. "Always."

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"You left her alone!?!?" Max practically yelled at Alec when she saw him arrive at Jam Pony without Kris.

"She wanted to be alone," he replied tiredly as he went to his locker.

"Who cares?" You don't leave someone alone who's just been through all that, Alec," Max said angrily. 

"She needs time, Max," Alec said as he put his contents into his locker.

"No, she needs to be watched. Who knows what she'll do?" Max asked, concerned.

Alec slammed his locker shut. "Are you implying something?" he asked angrily.

"So what if I am?" Max retorted.

Alec shook his head. "She's not suicidal, Max," he stated firmly.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know Kris, alright? She wouldn't do that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Max, I'm sure. I appreciate your concern and thanks so much for helping last night, but back off this time, please," Alec said, grabbing a package for delivery.

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Kris was alone in her apartment. She didn't know what to do. What do you do after you kill someone? Go about your regular business like it never happened? No, that was impossible. Would the police come and take her away for murder? She began to panic. No, that would expose the Familiars and White couldn't afford that. He would keep Sean's death private. 

After another shower, Kris went to her bedroom to take out everything she had kept that reminded her of Sean. She had numerous photo albums filled with pictures of them together, stuffed animals he had gotten her, letters he had written to her...everything. She would destroy them all. She couldn't erase him from her memory, but she could make all tangible evidence of his existence disappear.

Disappear, that was a concept. To just disappear. She could make herself disappear if she wanted to, couldn't she? She didn't want to feel this raw, gnawing ache anymore; she could make it disappear...

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"I'm worried, Logan. Should I go over to her apartment?" Max asked him. She had just finished telling him the entire story she and Alec had heard yesterday during her lunch break. She paced his apartment, anxiously awaiting his response.

"Do you really think she'd hurt herself?" Logan asked her incredulously. He had once thought about suicide as an easy answer to all the problems he had, but quickly realized there were things, like Max, worth living for.

"I want to say _no_, but I mean, I have no idea what she could be feeling and thinking right now. The man she loved was an evil bastard pretending to be all goodie, goodie," Max said.

"She has things worth living for, Max," Logan said.

"Like what?"

"Alec."

"What?" Max asked him skeptically.

"In the car last night, you should have seen him. He was beaten up so badly, but he still wanted to take care of her...alone," Logan answered.

"That's just Alec trying to be all gallant, Logan," Max said, brushing it aside.

"He loves her," Logan stated.

Max looked at Logan. He was dead serious about his statement. "Do you think that's possible?"

"A transgenetic loving someone?" Logan asked.

"No, I know that's possible," Max said quietly, looking straight into Logan's eyes. If only she could kiss him...damned virus. "I meant, Alec loving Kris."

"Why not?" Logan asked. The sexual tension between them was unnerving.

"It's Alec, we're talking about."

"People change. Didn't you change?" Logan asked her softly.

Max thought about it. Yeah, she had changed from a girl without a care in the world to someone who loved...loved Logan. "I changed," she confessed.

Just then the doorbell rang. Max went over to get it.

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Please review! That would be great!


	11. The Need

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Author's Note: _Thank you, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers_. You completely blow me away. I never thought I would get as much support as I've gotten since Dark Angle was canceled, but I am SO very touched that you've supported me. Wow! Special thanks to **Nimitz4, A fan, Jayme, raydyan, uiui_juju@hotmail.com, dominicanca_nina_121, shalott, toblerone, and steph **for reviewing chapter 10, I can't believe I had 9 reviews for that one chapter alone. I'm so glad you're enjoying my story and please review. I love the input! Enjoy!

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"Kris," Max said, relieved, when she opened the door.

"Oh, hi Max, um, I...I can come back later," Kris suggested. 

"No, it's cool. I gotta go to Joshua's place before heading back to work anyways," Max said, stepping aside so Kris could enter Logan's apartment. 

"Oh, um, okay," Kris said, coming inside. "I also wanted to thank you for risking your ass for me yesterday. I seriously owe you one."

Max shook her head. "Don't worry about it. That's what family does," Max replied. Kris smiled appreciatively. "How are you doing?" Max asked her quietly.

"I'll be okay, eventually," Kris replied.

"We're all here for you, ya know that, right?" Max said encouragingly.

"Yeah, thanks," Kris said, giving Max a hug. Max squeezed back.

"Alright, gotta blaze. Normal'll have a hissy fit if I don't get back on time," Max said, addressing both Kris and Logan. 

"Bye, Max," Logan said. She smiled at him and was gone.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Kris said to Logan.

"Don't worry about it. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you for helping yesterday and to give you this," she said, handing him a plastic bag. 

Logan opened the bag. Car floor mats. "You didn't have to do that," Logan said.

"Yeah I did, I'm sorry that I spewed all over yours," Kris said.

"It's totally understandable why you did," Logan replied. "Max told me, I hope you don't mind."

"No, um, I was going to tell you if she hadn't already. Also, um, I was wondering if I could borrow your shredder," Kris asked tentatively.

Logan wondered why she would need his shredder, but decided not to ask. "Of course, take it," he said, handing it to her. 

"Great, thanks, I'll have it back to you as soon as possible," she said gratefully.

"Take you time."

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Alec was in a sour mood the entire day. It wasn't because of the pain but because of what Max had hinted at earlier. Kris wouldn't hurt herself, would she? No, she wouldn't. But could he blame her if she did? No, he couldn't. He had tried the entire day to not think about the night before, but the images and emotions plagued his mind. He trusted Kris to not hurt herself, didn't he? 

After he completed his last delivery, he walked towards Kris' apartment. Though he knew she wouldn't hurt herself, there were always doubts. Images of a dead Kris is various positions flashed in Alec's mind and he mentally shook them away violently, blaming it on an overactive imagination. Nonetheless, he quickened his pace to her apartment, truly scared. She wouldn't, she couldn't. He was going to kill Sean. No, Sean was already dead. He began running to her building, he could be wasting precious time to save her from herself. He ran up the flights of steps to her room and knocked on the door. 

No answer.

Alec panicked. He took out her key from his pocket and fidgeted the door open. She wasn't in the living room or kitchenette. She wasn't in the bathroom either. 

"Kris?" he called out frantically. 

No answer. _Oh, God, no_...he thought.

"Kris!" he screamed as he opened her bedroom door. 

Kris was startled and turned to him. "Geez Alec, you scared me!" she said, trying to recover from the shock. She had been so absorbed in her task that she hadn't heard him enter her apartment. She looked at him, he was so pale. Something was wrong. 

Alec sighed in relief and kneeled down on the floor beside her bed where she sat. Kris was alive. _Damn Max_, he thought, _for putting that idea in my head_.

"Alec?" Kris asked tentatively. He was panting hard and his forehead was resting against the side of her bed. 

He didn't reply.

"Hey," she said, stroking his hair. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her, what would he do without her? His breathing became normal again and he got up to sit beside her on the bed. Photo albums and letters were scattered in front of them.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Oh no, you don't just barge in here panting and screaming my name without telling me what happened," she said sternly.

He looked down, ashamed that he had thought she would do anything to herself. 

"Hey, c'mon, what is it?" she asked him gently, placing her hand over his. 

He sighed. "Today...Max yelled at me for leaving you alone. She was worried that..." he swallowed hard. "She worried that you would hurt yourself. I didn't believe it, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it could be possible. I couldn't blame you after all that shit. Then I started panicking and ran over here. I...I knocked on the door and there was no answer and then I came in and you weren't there and when I called for you...you didn't answer," he said. He choked up. This wasn't the time to get emotional, Kris needed him to be strong. He looked away from her. He couldn't believe he might cry...cry? He hadn't cried since he thought he had killed Rachel. He wouldn't cry now. 

"Hey," Kris said softly. Alec still didn't look at her. She touched his cheek lightly, turning his face towards her so he would look in her eyes. "I'm right here, aren't I?" she whispered. 

Alec nodded slightly. She was amazed at how vulnerable he looked; he had given himself such a terrible scare. 

"And I'm not going anywhere," she stated firmly. 

"I knew that, but then I got all freaked, it was stupid," Alec said, brushing the entire issue off.

"I did think about it, though," she admitted. 

"What?" he asked, surprised. 

"I thought about how easy it would be to disappear, and make all the pain go away," she explained.

Alec looked scared.

"But I realized that there are things to live for. I have family here. O.C., Sketchy, Logan, Max and you...especially you. You're the reason why I'm gonna get through all this shit," she said honestly, looking straight at him.

Alec desperately wanted to kiss her right then, but he knew it wouldn't be right. So, he settled for the next best thing. He hugged her tight. He never needed anyone before, but he realized as he ran over to her apartment that he needed Kris. It bothered him that someone could affect him so strongly like she did, but he couldn't help it. 

They needed each other and they both knew it.

She pulled away from him after a while, but rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm protectively around her waist and she intertwined her fingers with his on her side

"So, what are you doing?" Alec asked again, never wanting to let go of her.

"Getting rid of all the stuff that reminds me of Sean," she replied sadly.

"Oh, um, I see. Where'd you get the shredder?" he asked, looking over at the side of her bed where a shredder was on the floor.

"Logan let me borrow it. I saw him today. I bought him new car floor mats," Kris explained. "I'm shredding all the pictures and letters right now."

"Need some help?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he'd help with, but he figured he would ask.

"I look at the pictures and read the letters and then I start remembering the time we took that picture or why he wrote the letter and so it takes a while to actually shred something. All this stuff, it's all lies. Every smile he gave me, every kiss we shared, they were all lies," she said, a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice. "Just say here, will you?"

"Of course." He didn't want to be anywhere else.

She smiled slightly. She took out a picture from the photo album. It was of Kris and Sean beaming in front of a TV, of all things. Alec leaned in to look at the picture. The man in it looked like a happy person in love, not the heartless man he was yesterday.

"That was our new TV. We saved up out money and bought it after like three months of eyeing it at the store. We were so proud cuz it was our first joint purchase," she said, handing the picture to Alec to put in the shredder. "I'm sorry, I don't think you wanna hear about him."

"No, it's okay," Alec said. "Let it out, talk to me." 

The next five hours Kris and Alec spent destroying all evidence of Sean. When everything was shredded or thrown out, Kris fell asleep, emotionally exhausted. 

While Alec covered her with blankets, she stirred. "Alec?" she asked sleepily.

"Go to sleep. I'm going to go to The Crash. I'll see you in the morning," he said softly.

"Be careful," she mumbled before falling asleep again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alec desperately needed to get drunk. He never realized being emotionally strong was so much harder than being physically strong. Supporting Kris was so difficult, he wasn't trained to do all of this. But he had to try, no matter how unqualified he was, he had to be there for her when she asked him to. It was the least he could do.

He gulped down a shot of whiskey and asked for another. Kris looked like she was coping well, but it was all a facade and Alec knew it. She was busying herself with all these tasks so she wouldn't have to think about anything else, like the pain. Alec was in pain. He shouldn't have gone to work that day, his whole body ached right now. Maybe the liquor would cure that. Hearing all those stories of Sean and Kris hurt too because he finally understood the gravity of what Kris had done to save him last night. He gulped down another shot and asked for more. Maybe he would get drunk enough so he would forget everything momentarily. His thoughts flashed back to the first time he met Kris and didn't even know it was her. He had been trying to get drunk and he hit on her and she snubbed him. He smiled briefly, they had come so far since then, but one thing still remained. He would never be with Kris. Alec doubted Kris would ever want another relationship with someone after being hurt so badly by Sean. _Damn Sean_, he cursed in his mind. 

"Hey there," a woman said, sitting next to him. 

He turned to see a very attractive brown haired woman next to him with very pretty blue eyes. He lips were bright red and she wore a blue dress that accented her eyes. Was he in the mood to 'talk'...it couldn't hurt he supposed.

"Hello," he replied.

"Rough day?" she asked, smiling at him.

"You could say that," Alec replied. 

"Well, I could make it better for you," she purred.

He lifted his eyebrows. She was fast. "Oh, really?" he replied.

"Yeah, and it would only cost two hundred," she said, still smiling at him.

Alec chuckled, he hated it when prostitutes acted like they were interested in him instead of his wallet. "Really..." he trailed off.

"Yup, so, what do you say?" the woman replied. 

He thought about it. He could really use the distraction right then. But then again, he probably would still be thinking about Kris while with this woman. He sighed. Kris was dominating his thoughts and though part of him didn't mind at all, part of him didn't want to lose his old, carefree ways because of her. But wasn't that a good thing? No, he still had to be his own person, the person he wanted to be. And right now, he wanted this woman to make him forget about Kris and the fact that he would never be with her.

"Sure," he replied. 

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"No!" she yelled, waking up with a start. She looked around her, it was pitch black. Well, it should have been, it was two in the morning. She was sweating profusely. What had the dream been about? She could only remember feelings: anger, fear, disgust...it must have been about Sean. Sean. She needed to get over it, she wasn't going to mourn him again, he had been dead for a year. The Sean she met yesterday was another man, an evil one. But...it hurt so much. No, she wouldn't cry, she refused to let him have that control over her. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sat up. Her heart had resumed its normal beating pattern, but she felt so jittery. 

Flashes of her Sean and cult-Sean swamped her mind. She never actually loved Sean. She loved a character the cult-Sean had made. The only man she ever loved wasn't even real. He was the only man she loved, right? 

Alec. What did she feel towards him? She loved him enough to kill Sean, but what kind of love was it? She couldn't tell anymore. He had been so scared earlier that day when he thought she was gone. She wanted to kiss him then so badly, to comfort him, but it was too soon for her. She shook her head, trying to make the Sean images and confusion she felt towards Alec disappear. 

She looked around the dark room. Feelings of loneliness filled her, which was absurd because Alec had spent many hours with her earlier. She felt strangely selfish because she wished that she could go back to her old self, when she was seventeen. She wished she never had met Sean. But then again, it was inevitable that she meet him, he was determined. She was his mating partner. The thought disgusted her. Alec once told her that Max and he were mating partners, though they hadn't actually mated. She despised the idea of someone being assigned to someone else yet here she was, a twenty year old girl who destroyed the mate she was assigned to. She thought she had chosen Sean and never suspected he had ulterior motives. How stupid she had been.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_...she thought, curling up to place her forehead on her knees. She could feel the tears coming down, wetting her pajama pants. She wiped them away furiously, she wasn't going to cry over it anymore. She refused, but the tears wouldn't listen to her. They still fell. Soon she was crying, unable to fight it anymore. She slid back down on the bed and cried into her pillow. Part of her hated herself for letting all of this affect her, but another part of her desperately wanted to cry forever, just to let all these confused emotions out. That part won. She never knew when she finally fell asleep again that night.

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Author's Note: What did you think? I tried to make the emotions as real as possible. Please review, and let me know how I did. Thanks!


	12. Beautiful Torture

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Author's Note: Hello all! This chapter is very, very long, over 3400 words! That is because the next chapter will take a while cuz I want it to be perfect. I've already written it, and I know where the story is going, but it's hard editing. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think!

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Kris did not go to work for the next two weeks. She didn't go to The Crash. She didn't go out much at all. She slept, watched TV, cleaned her apartment, and read a lot. O.C. and Sketchy brought her care packages, thinking she was sick with the flu. Normal had sent a check for her even though she didn't work, telling her to take her time recuperating. It really helped being nice the your boss. Alec came by everyday after work for a few hours to hang out before running off to The Crash. He'd then return to her place in the early morning to sleep on the couch for a couple of hours before heading off to work and repeating the whole process. Kris wondered if he even saw his own apartment. 

After the two week period, while Kris was waking Alec up on her couch, she added, "I'm going to work today."

"WHAT?" Alec asked, surprised.

"I'm going to work today," she repeated.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Alec, why are you pressing this?" Kris asked.

Alec sighed. They hadn't talked much about Sean since that day they destroyed all the stuff. "Because, I think it's too early."

"I'm alright," Kris insisted. She was much better than she was before. She hadn't cried herself to sleep in a few days, that must have meant progress.

"Are you?" Alec asked incredulously.

She sat down on the couch next to Alec. There was silence for a while.

"The Sean I knew died over a year ago. The Sean I met two weeks ago was a monster who wanted to kill you. The Sean I knew never existed, I was in love with a character. I don't like it, I feel completely betrayed, but I can't do anything else about it. I hafta just accept that, move on, and live my life. I...I just don't know what else to do," she answered, lost.

Alec nodded his head slowly. "Okay," he said.

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"Good to have you back, Kris," Normal said as she and Alec entered Jam Pony.

"Good to be back, Normal. And thank you so much for the check...you really didn't have to do that, sir," she replied.

Normal was touched. "Aw, don't worry about it. You feeling better, though?"

Kris hesitated. "Yeah, yeah, I am feeling much better. I think I finally got over the flu," she lied. 

"Excellent, well, packages to deliver everyone! Bip, bip, bip!" Normal yelled out.

She walked over to her locker, but everything seemed different. Doing something as simple as opening the locker door felt out of place. She was out of place. It was like she was a different person now, but she didn't want to be a different person. She brushed the feeling off and started working.

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"Kris!" Sketchy yelled, giving her a big bear hug. "I didn't think you were going to come to The Crash after your first day back," he said, surprised.

"Well, I couldn't miss a greeting like that, could I?" she responded.

"Good to see you here, Boo Numba Two, we all missed you like crazy. There was no one to keep Soldier Boy in line," O.C. said once Sketchy was out of hearing range.

Kris laughed. It felt good to laugh again.

"Hey, I don't need to be kept in line," Alec said defiantly.

O.C., Kris, and Max rolled their eyes big.

"You know what..." Alec started, but was completely ignore by the three girls.Spending time with her friends was exactly what Kris needed. It didn't make her forget her problems but rather took the sting out of them. That was all she could have asked for anyways. But laughing and joking and talking made Kris feel alive again. She belonged there with them. 

Alec went over to the bar to get another round of drinks. "A pitcher of beer and a ginger ale," he requested to the bartender. As he waited, a woman approached him.

"You look happier today," she said to him.

He turned to see that brown-haired, blue-eyed prostitute he had been with two weeks ago.

"I am," he replied.

"So, you won't be needing me, I suppose?" she asked him flirtingly, while touching his arm lightly.

Alec suddenly felt sorry for her, for all of the women who did that for a living actually. "No," he said, looking over at Kris momentarily.

The woman nodded her head and followed Alec's gaze to Kris. She smirked and said, "So long, honey." Then she was gone.

After Alec came back to the table with the drinks, he asked, "So, what do you say?" as he held out a pool stick towards Kris. 

"I say you're asking for an ass-kicking," she replied, taking the stick and following Alec to a table. Sketch, O.C., and Max laughed heartily at this.

"I was actually gonna ask for dinner," Alec replied cockily.

Kris laughed. "Fine, dinner it is," she replied. "But you're cooking."

"Cooking? No way, I'm winning this game. _You're_ cooking. I want spaghetti with sausages and..."

"Just play," Kris replied, annoyed. Alec smirked at her and she couldn't help but smile back. 

As they played, Kris asked, "Who was that?"

"Huh?"

"The really pretty girl you were talking to at the bar," Kris said. She was gorgeous actually, but Kris wasn't going to make herself feel even more inadequate than she already felt. 

"Oh, um, no one," Alec replied hesitantly.

"Huh, she seemed really friendly," Kris commented, a twinge of jealousy in her voice.

"Well, that's sorta her job," Alec said uncomfortably. 

It took Kris a second to understand what he meant. 

"Oh, I see," she said quietly. 

The sad look in her eyes hurt Alec terribly. Her opinion of him probably lowered dramatically just then, and she didn't even know that for the past two weeks there had been a different girl at his apartment every night. At that instant he wanted to swear off sex forever if only he could get her favor back, but he knew that was impossible. 

She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Alec had rejected the woman's offer, but it planted a seed in Kris' mind. Was Alec sleeping with prostitutes on a regular basis? That changed her opinion of him in the sense that she felt sorry for him to have to do that, but what he did was his own business. However, it made her want to scream at him with frustration. She was right in front of him! But she probably was too inexperienced and too prude for him. She wasn't ready for anything like that, yet, but maybe she could be again, eventually. If only he'd wait for her... 

Although Kris hadn't played in two weeks, she still managed to beat Alec. 

"I've been out for two weeks, and I still beat you? What have you been doing while I was gone?" she teased. Then again, maybe she didn't want to know.

Alec wasn't sure how to respond. _Well, after the gang leaves, I get extremely drunk and sleep with hookers in vain attempts to forget about my feelings towards you, _he thought wryly. "I play really easy people to get money," Alec replied, not wanting to say that he would spend that money the same night for sex. Kris probably suspected something like that already. 

"Well, I guess you could use that money to buy the stuff for dinner," she said, sitting down at the table with their friends.

"When?" Alec asked.

She shrugged. "Tomorrow's fine."

"I'm not cooking."

"Yeah, you are, it was agreed upon."

"I can't cook, you know this."

"I'll help you, but you hafta wear an apron!" Kris teased. 

Alec looked at her and sighed. Her eyes were laughing again, finally, and he knew she was the only one he'd ever want, but attaining her was a completely different story. Sleeping with women he didn't care for was completely unfulfilling, yet hearing her tease him made him so happy. That didn't make any sense, did it?

"Crap," was all he could say.

"Hey, guys, random question. Why do girls insist on snuggling after sex?" Sketchy asked, completely smashed by then.

"What?" Max asked. "Where are you coming from, Sketch?"

"I told you it was a random question. These things just pop up in my mind."

"Yeah, when your drunk," O.C. added. The group laughed.

"I always thought it was the guys who wanted to snuggle," Max said. "They want to make the girls think the sex wasn't just sex so they try to add something _meaningful_ to the end of it, but it's a load of crap."

"Boo, you are jaded. Sketchy, honey, snugglin' is fun. You get to act stupid and whateva and with your partner and it's private. I dunno about men but the hunnies do it right," O.C. said.

"I'm not a fan of snuggling, myself," Alec commented.

"No, you're the in and out kinda guy," Max said.

The group laughed. 

"But seriously, snuggling is stupid," Alec said.

"Maybe you just haven't found the right girl," Kris commented.

"That sounds like a line used about sex," Sketchy said.

"Well, yeah, but snuggling's different, it's...comforting," Kris replied, unable to put her exact feelings into words.

"Agreed," O.C. stated.

"What?" Alec asked incredulously. "No way. I would think it be uncomfortable." He actually had never snuggled so he was talking about something he had, surprisingly, no experience with. 

Kris guessed Alec never had snuggled, but he didn't strike her as a snuggling person anyways. She, on the other hand, was a fan of it when she was with Sean, but then again...she sighed. She had actually never snuggled with someone who loved her. She never had sex with someone who loved her. No one had actually ever loved her. No one.

Her chest started to hurt as she suppressed the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Kris?" Max asked.

"Huh?" Kris had zoned out and now the group of off the topic of snuggling. "Sorry," she said, embarrassed.

"You okay?" Alec asked softly. She looked very pale.

"Fine, I'm fine," she lied. The fact that she had never been loved hit her hard. Though she knew this before, she never understood the meaning to it until just then. She had never hugged someone who loved her, she had never talked with someone who loved her, she had never eaten dinner with someone who loved her, she never laughed with someone who loved her...she pushed those thoughts away as best as she could and refocused her attention on the conversation.

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"So, how has your first two days back been?" Alec asked as they prepared dinner the next night at his apartment.

Kris shrugged. "It's all different now," she said cryptically as she put the parsley in the sauce. She wound up making majority of the spaghetti sauce, but Alec was a good sport and wore a black apron. 

"Yeah..." Alec said, unsure of how to respond.

"Okay, I need the oregano now," she said.

He handed it to her and their hands brushed against each others. Kris missed that. They hadn't touched much in the past two weeks. They were still trying get back to the comfortableness they had taken for granted before. 

After a few minutes of stirring in silence, Kris said, "Try this," taking a spoonful of sauce and feeding it to Alec. Her body was painfully close to his and he could feel the warmth radiating off of her. 

"Needs more parsley," Alec said after tasting it, trying to sound as casual as possible. He wanted her close to him again.

"Yeah? Hmm, okay," Kris said, sprinkling more parsley into the sauce. "Alright, how about this?" she asked, feeding another spoonful to him.

Alec was clearly enjoying being fed. "It needs more oregano," he commented.

Kris furrowed her eyebrows. "Weird. Okay," she said, adding a little more oregano and feeding another spoonful to Alec.

The sauce was good, really good actually and didn't need anything else. Alec didn't want to ruin the it, but he still wanted to be fed, still wanted her to be close to him. 

"Um, I think I need to try that again. I think it's good, but I'm not sure..." Alec explained jumping up to sit on the counter next to where the sauce was cooking. 

Kris tried the sauce herself and shook her head. "You are such a jerk, you know that?" she said, laughing.

"What?" Alec said, feigning innocence.

"The sauce is perfect. You just wanna be fed, like a baby," she said, annoyed, as she walked around his dangling legs to get some plates. 

"Ah, don't be like that, Kris," he said, giving her the puppy dog eyes once again.

"Your punishment is serving. I'm sitting down now," she said, handing him the plates and preparing to walk away. He trapped her with his legs. 

"Excuse you..." she said, amused but annoyed at the same time. "I might break your legs, you know, if you upset me," she added, trying to get away.

"You wouldn't," he said confidently, putting the plates by his side.

She faced him, his eyes once again dazzling with playfulness. But there was something else there...trust. "I wouldn't, would I?" she asked mischievously, reaching to the backside of Alec's legs to tickle him behind his knee. She had discovered that he was actually ticklish there and on his barcode a few months ago. 

When Kris tickled him, he immediately jerked back his legs and she was free. "Manipulator!" Alec called out, getting down from the counter to serve the spaghetti. 

"Oh! Look who's talking!" Kris retorted, sitting down and watching him. 

Alec was about the defend himself, but realized he couldn't, so he kept his mouth shut. At least they were joking around and having fun again. Alec wanted that back desperately since Kris was the only person he could act goofy with.

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"Don't you get it, little girl? You don't have a choice in the matter," a voice said icily. 

"Of course I do, and I say you're filthy hands aren't coming near me," Kris replied assertively. 

She was back in the warehouse with Sean standing over her. She was sitting in one of those metal fold out chairs and she wasn't bound in any way...she could escape.

"Besides, you're dead," she added.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked her. 

She actually wasn't. She could have sworn she put a bullet to his head, but here he was, walking and talking, alive and well. Maybe the bullet just hurt him, didn't kill him.

"Cuz you thought I was dead before, remember? How do you know I'm dead now?" Sean asked. 

Her head was so confused. She hated these mind games. She pulled the trigger, the bullet hit Sean, he was dead. 

"You're dead," she stated. 

"Interesting. Then how come I was able to do this?" he asked arrogantly. All of the sudden Alec's beaten body fell in front of Kris' feet.

"Oh, God," she said, feeling sick. She kneeled down to him. Was he alive?

"He's alive," Sean said, as though reading her mind. "But barely."

"You bastard!" she said vehemently to Sean as she tried to assess Alec's injuries. But that was impossible. He was barely recognizable as Alec, his whole face was bloody and purple and his body was completely limp. 

"Actually, he's the bastard if you want to get technical," Sean replied.

Kris didn't know what to say, so said nothing. 

"So, are you coming?" Sean asked. 

Kris wanted to cry; she didn't want to go with Sean. "Will you let him go?" she asked, Alec's head in her lap.

"Yes, if you come."

"Alright, I'll come with you," she said quietly. 

Then hands were pulling her up, away from Alec, and dragging her somewhere.

"You said you'd let him go!" she yelled at Sean.

An evil smirk spread across Sean's lips. "You're right," he said as he bent over Alec's body and broke his neck. He turned to her and said, "I let him go."

Kris couldn't breath. Alec was dead. "No..." she said quietly, not believing it. 

"Take her to the bedroom, we must get started," Sean said to the men holding her.

"No," she said louder.

They didn't listen.

"No!" she screamed, struggling in their grasps. 

"No! Alec! No!" she yelled. She sat upright, it was dark. Where the hell was she now? 

Just then someone burst through the doors. "Kris! Kris, I'm right here! What's wrong?" Alec said, sitting on the bed and holding her shoulders.

What? It was a dream? No, this was a dream. She was so confused. "No, you're dead!" she cried out at the Alec phantom in front of her.

"Huh? No, Kris, it was just a dream, I'm right here," he said. He died in a dream of hers? Alec was so confused.

"Sean killed you. He said he wouldn't and he did. He said he wouldn't if I went with him, but he did anyways. He said..." she trailed off as she began to cry with confusion. 

Sean? Sean was dead. Alec pulled her in close and she cried while hugging him. Wait, she was hugging him. It wasn't possible to hug illusions, was it? She wasn't sure now. Part of her wondered if she was going insane. 

"No, it was a nightmare, Kris. I'm right in front of you. Remember yesterday we made spaghetti and everything?" Alec replied, trying to comfort her.

"It's fake, this is fake," she insisted as she cried. 

"Here," he said, taking her hand. "Feel me, okay? Feel me here," he said, placing her hand on his bare chest over his beating heart. It was pounding very hard after being woken up by her screams. 

She felt the pressure on her hand with every heartbeat. He was alive. This was the real Alec. Her Alec. "Alec," she whispered, relieved. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's me, Kris."

There was silence in the room while Kris continued to feel his heart. The only thing they could hear was each other's breathing in the darkness. Kris' head rested on Alec's shoulder while one hand was wrapped around his neck and the other one was still on his heart. She couldn't make herself forget that bottomless pit of grief when she thought he was dead. What would she do without him? She never meant to get this close to someone again after Sean, yet here she was feeling his heart and wanting...more. But not tonight. For now, she would satisfy herself with having him alive and his arms around her. 

Alec held her, feeling completely powerless because he couldn't protect her from the demons in her own mind. Feeling her breath on his neck was torturous...he desperately wanted more but knew he would never have it. He sighed, if only...there were so many "if only" situations he could think of. 

If only he hadn't been such a jerk in the beginning. If only he had told her how he felt before. If only she hadn't seen him naked with that Sandie girl. If only...if only he had never met her. No, he wouldn't add that to the list. Well, actually, why not? If he hadn't met her, he wouldn't be so tortured now, holding her and wanting so badly to kiss her. If the old Alec had his way, he would probably take full advantage of the situation right now. But this new Alec, no, he was too whipped to actually do something so sleazy to the woman he lo...liked. She was too precious to seduce for a one night stand. No, he was grateful that he met her. 

"Are you okay?" he asked her finally, pulling himself away from his depressing thoughts.

"Yeah. Were you on my couch when I woke up?" she asked, every word breathed on his neck. 

"Yeah."

Alec could feel her lips smile against his shoulder. "Thank you for always being here," she said to him. 

Alec sighed with frustration. She was killing him inside with her warm breath and smiles...

She felt his muscles tighten. "Are you okay?" she asked him, giving him more of that torturously wonderful feeling on his neck.

"I'm fine." _Just that you have no clue what you're doing to me_, he thought sadly.

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Author's Note: What did you think? Please review!


	13. Tabloids, Limos, and That Thing Called H...

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Author's Note: I'm sorry that some of you feel that there isn't enough Max/Logan interaction in my story, but I have to remind you that this story really focuses on Alec and Kris. However, the timing of the comments was interesting since I had already written this chapter before I read them, and this chapter and a couple chapters afterwards are filled with Max/Logan goodness. So, I hope this story keeps both the Alec/Kris fans and Max/Logan fans happy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! Thanks!

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"Normal, sir, I was wondering...oh my God!" Kris said, alarmed, looking the cover of what Normal was reading. 

He jumped, looked at the cover, and understood. "Yeah, isn't it disgusting? These damned monsters are running all over Seattle. They call them _transgenetics_...man made," Normal explained. 

Kris just stared at the picture of Joshua, a million questions whizzing through her mind. It had been four months since the Sean incident and she was doing well. Eventually, she found peace with the situation, but it took a lot of work and a lot of time. But now, something was terribly wrong.

People knew about Joshua, and it was only a matter of time before they knew about the X-series, putting Max and Alec at risk. 

"I don't think they're real, sir," Kris said confidently.

"What? This dog-looking one has been spotted snooping around at night more than once. He's probably looking for little children to eat or something," Normal replied contemptuously.

Kris wanted to yell back that Joshua would never do such a thing. He was a considerate, generous person. She liked Joshua a lot; he had made macaroni and hot dogs for her and Alec a couple of times.

"Don't dogs like kibble, sir?" was all she could think to say. 

Normal thought about it and asked, "Don't you have any packages to deliver?"

"Yes, sir," Kris said, grabbing a package to deliver with Alec.

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"Alec, this is really freaky," Kris said as they passed a newsstand with Joshua's picture plastered on every tabloid.

"Yeah, Max is trying to find out how this happened," Alec said, trying to hide his nerves.

"The domino effect might come into play. Soon, they may know about the X-series and..."

"Don't worry about it," Alec said casually.

"Alec, I'm serious."

"I know, but just...we'll just have to wait and see," Alec said more seriously.

"They could get to you," Kris said softly. 

Alec wrapped an arm around her shoulders, knowing full well that they could get to him. "They aren't gonna get to me. I'm an intelligent, gorgeous, desirable..." he started cockily before Kris nudged him in the ribs.

"Uh huh..." Kris replied incredulously.

"What? You don't think I'm all of those things?" he asked her.

"Oh, you know I do," she said casually as they strolled back into Jam Pony.

"Aw, say it with some feeling," he teased, his arm still around her shoulders.

"Don't make me barf..." Kris replied.

Alec reached down and pinched her side, making her squirm. 

"You dork!" she laughed out as he tickled her. She got away and started running around Jam Pony. Alec chased her.

"Hey, kids, take it outside!" Normal said, annoyed.

They didn't listen. Alec still ran after and tickled Kris and she still laughed like crazy.

"Hey!! Lovebirds!! Take it outside!" Normal yelled so everyone at Jam Pony could hear.

Alec and Kris finally stopped after Kris punched him in the arm hard for tickling her for so long. Everyone in Jam Pony was looking at them with a weird expression on their faces. 

"We created a scene," Kris said, panting.

"I guess so," Alec commented.

Kris walked over to Normal as if nothing happened. "Here's the receipt, sir," she said, handing him a paper and reaching for another package.

Normal looked at her curiously. "Good work," he said.

"Thanks," Alec said proudly, standing next to Kris. 

Kris rolled her eyes and messed up his hair.

"Hey!" Alec said, annoyed. "Not the hair!"

Kris smiled mischievously and ran out the door, package at hand.

"Oh, you are gonna get it..." Alec playfully threatened, running out the door to catch her.

Normal sighed and continued reading the tabloid.

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"They say some of these mutants look just like regular people," Sketchy gossiped to Max, Logan, O.C., Alec, and Kris at The Crash a few weeks later. Since Logan perfected the exoskeleton model, he had been joining them for drinks whenever possible. Kris liked Logan's company, he always gave a different perspective on things. On the days he didn't come to The Crash, Kris wondered what he did. Apparently, he worked for Eyes Only. 

Everyone looked at each other uneasily, all knowing about the transgenetics.

"Boo, I think yo head is screwed on backwards," O.C. said after a while.

"No, I'm serious. They can be lurking around anywhere. I mean, they could be in here! I could know some of these monsters!" Sketch said, scared.

"Do you know anyone who might be a monster?" Kris asked him.

Sketchy thought about it. "Well, no..."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem, Sketch," Logan asserted. Max gave him an appreciative smile. 

Sketchy thought about it for a while, momentarily convinced he would not have his head eaten by a transgenetic who looked like a normal person.

"Let's go play," Alec said to Kris.

Once they were out of hearing range, Kris said worriedly, "I told you people would find out eventually."

"Relax, no one knows that we exist for sure."

"Thus creating a massive hysteria! Alec, don't you think you and Max should get out of here?" she whispered. It hurt her to ask such a think, but it was for Alec's best interest.

"_What?_" Alec asked angrily.

"It's not safe here! I don't want something happening to you," she explained.

"I'm not leaving," Alec stated firmly.

"But, Alec..."

"No, Kris," Alec said, cutting her off. 

She sighed but wouldn't press the issue further, at least not today. When they finished playing, Kris hopped onto the pool table to face him, her legs dangling, gently kicking Alec's shins.. 

"So, later, my place or yours?" Kris asked Alec later that day at The Crash, referring to the pizza he owed her and where they would eat it. 

"Well, you're moving fast..." Alec teased as he stood in front of her.

She rolled her eyes, and kicked Alec a little harder.

"Hey," he complained. 

"Hello, Kris," a voice said behind her.

Alec looked over to see an Asian man about twenty five years of age standing on the other side of the pool table dressed in a gray silk sweater and black pants. 

Kris tentatively turned around and her eyes lit up. "Jacob!" she exclaimed happily, walking on top of the pool table to leap into his arms. 

"Hey," the man said while hugging her.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?" she asked him excitedly once he released her. He looked different to her. He no longer wore glasses, probably replaced them with contacts, and his hair was cut short and clean. 

"I came to see you. You're a hard girl to find," he said.

"Wow, oh geez, I'm sorry, I hafta introduce you to my friends," she said, leading him over to the table. "Jacob, this is Max, Logan, O.C., Sketchy, and Alec. Guys, this is Jacob, my friend from L.A.," Kris said as Jacob shook everyone's hands. 

When Jacob and Alec shook hands, Jacob asked him, "Are you Kris' boyfriend?"

As much as Alec wanted to say _yes_, he shook his head. "No, we're friends."

"So, Jacob, what brings you to Seattle?" Logan asked, trying to make polite conversation. 

Jacob sat down and said, "Well, Kris left without a trace almost a year ago. It took me this long to find out she was in Seattle. I just wanted to make sure she was alright," he said.

"An expensive expedition," Logan commented protectively. He wasn't sure if this man could be trusted, considering the last man from Kris' past was a Familiar.

"My father owns a successful medical company that has licenses with the government; we're comfortable enough so I could afford the trip. In addition, I had to attend a conference here today," Jacob replied.

Logan looked at Max, briefly catching her eye. "What kind of medicine?" Logan asked innocently.

"Oh, well, mostly vaccines for soldiers and government officials," Jacob answered.

"Like vaccines for viruses?" Max asked, catching on to what Logan was hinting at.

"Well, yes, we supply the AIDS vaccine, for example, to people traveling overseas."

Kris looked at Max and Logan curiously. "How long are you going to be here?" Kris asked Jacob.

"For a week."

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked.

"I was going to get a place at the motel down the street," Jacob asked.

"Don't you have enough money for the Marriott?" Alec asked suspiciously.

Kris frowned at him. "Stay with me. It's not much, but it'll be better than the motel," she said quickly.

Alec scowled. He wouldn't be able to crash on her couch for a week. Alec grew jealous. Jacob would be sleeping on the couch and not the bed, right? 

"Okay, that would be great," Jacob said. "I came from New York from a previous conference. I'm sort of tired right now," he said. 

"Oh, okay, we'll get you settled in then," she said getting up. 

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Jacob said politely.

"We'll reschedule," Kris whispered to Alec. Alec nodded sadly.

They all said their goodbyes and Jacob and Kris left.

"I don't like him," Alec stated.

"You wouldn't, would you," Max said vaguely, possibilities swirling in her mind. Logan was silent with thoughts.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alec asked defensively.

"Just that you're jealous of him and the fact that he's wealthy," O.C. explained. 

It was true, but Alec replied, "Whatever."

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"So, seriously, Jacob, why are you here? I mean, you were never one for staying at a place once the conference is over," Kris asked once he was settled on her couch.

"I told you. I wanted to find you. Kris, when you left so abruptly, I...I was devastated," he replied. "And besides, I had no one to help me out with my research," he added facetiously.

Kris laughed. "Gimme a break, you're the one with the college education. But I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I mean, you helped me out so much, I didn't want to depend on your family anymore," she said.

"Are you kidding me? My father adores you," Jacob said.

Kris smiled. "Well, the feeling is mutual."

"I missed you," he confessed. "I didn't know where you went or if you were even alive."

She looked down. "I'm sorry, I just thought it would be better if I severed all ties to L.A."

"I understood that, but I didn't like it," he replied.

She smiled. "It's really good to see you though."

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"Okisawa is his last name. He's my friend, Alec," Kris said the next day, slightly annoyed because Alec was giving her the third degree regarding Jacob.

"I know that much. But what does he want? Were you guys involved...?"

"No, no, Alec. Geez, no. It was never like that. After Sean died, I was a wreck. Jacob's dad and my dad were high school friends. My parents died in that car crash when I was sixteen and then Sean died a couple years later. And so, there I was, almost twenty years old and a mess. So, Jacob's family took me in, and I lived in their house for three months. It was more like a mansion. But anyway, I realized that I didn't want to be in L.A. anymore so I left a note thanking them profusely for their help and love and left. I eventually made it here," she explain.

Alec thought about it. They never talked much about Kris' past. He knew her parents died a few months before she met Sean, but Kris never mentioned Jacob.

"How come you never talked about Jacob?" he asked.

"Cause I didn't like talking about my past, period. You know that," she said.

"Yeah, well, your past is talking to Normal," Alec commented dryly.

"What?" she said, looking at Normal. Sure enough, Jacob was there talking with her boss.

"Hey," Jacob said, kissing her on the cheek. Alec sneered, she never let _him_ kiss her on the cheek. Then again, he never asked.

"Hi, you were sleeping, I didn't wanna wake you," she said.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, Normal says that you could have the day off. We could spend that time together," Jacob said.

"Oh, cool, thanks a lot, Normal, sir," Kris said respectfully.

"Sure thing," Normal said. Normal liked Kris practically as much as he liked Alec, which was saying a lot.

Alec watched Kris leave with Jacob, his hand on her back. What gave him the right to touch her like that? Probably the fact that he was rich and sophisticated...what girl wouldn't want that? Alec sighed. He was a poor transgenetic who got drunk and slept around. There was no way he could compete.

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"Wow," Kris said. In front of her eyes was a white stretch limo waiting for them. 

"You like it?" Jacob asked.

"Uh, you could say that," she replied. While she stayed with Jacob's family she never went out and so therefore had never been in a limo before.

"Get in, get in," he urged.

She listened and got in. The seats were so cushioned and it was wonderfully spacious. 

"Have something to drink," he suggested, giving her a glass of champagne. 

She took it hesitantly. Well, one glass wouldn't get her drunk. 

"So, um, do you like it here?" Jacob asked Kris.

"Yes, I do," she said.

"But it's so rainy," Jacob said, looking out the tinted window at the dreary skyline.

"That's alright," she replied. "So, where are we going?"

"Art museum," Jacob said. 

"Oh, great. I've never been there."

"I figured," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Well, it's just that your friends don't seem very interested in something like art," he explained quickly.

She frowned. "That's a little quick to judge, don't you think?" she asked, a little touchy. Joshua was a wonderful artist, but then again, she wasn't about to get into a conversation about a man with canine DNA painting beautiful expressionist pieces. 

Jacob didn't respond. 

"What are you studying now?" she asked him, hoping find a nicer topic to discuss.

"Well, biowarfare, actually," Jacob replied.

"What?" Kris asked, startled.

"Don't get all riled up. We're trying to find vaccines to them, not actually create them," Jacob said.

"Still," Kris started warily. "It's dangerous. You could be creating a whole new agent or you could get hurt, or sick, or die," she rambled.

Jacob smiled. "Nice to know you care," he commented sincerely. 

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"Jacob Okisawa, that's what Alec said his name was," Max said, barging into Logan's apartment after work.

Logan typed the name into his computer and tapped his fingers on the table anxiously as he waited for the information to come up. "Got it," he said quickly, scanning the documents on the screen.

Max hurried over to him, careful not to touch his skin, though she desperately wanted to.

"Dr. Jacob Okisawa born in Burbank, California. He's twenty-six years old and graduated from Stanford University at the age of seventeen with a degree in biochemistry. Then got his doctorate from Stanford as well. Currently he works at his father's company, Medex, doing research, but it doesn't say what kind of research it is," Logan said.

"Child genius?" Max asked jokingly.

Logan laughed. "Appears that way..." he trailed off, scrolling down the information. "His record is flawless, not even a speeding ticket."

"Well, I'm not surprised, he doesn't drive," Max commented wryly.

"Huh?"

"He's got a chauffer. Drove up to Jam Pony today in a limo and whisked Kris off her feet," Max explained.

"Hmm."

"What?"

"I can't quite imagine Kris being whisked by a limo. She's too down-too-earth," Logan commented absently.

"Well, she was definitely shocked."

"Were they ever together romantically?" Logan asked, curious.

"Kris and Jacob? No, at least that's what Alec says, but he's not sure."

"Kris doesn't lie," Logan said. "Alec's just feeling insecure."

Mac scoffed. "Right. Whatever." She had no interest in thinking about Alec just then.

"Anyway, I don't like it," Logan concluded, once he scanned Jacob's file.

"What do you mean?"

"Jacob's too perfect. Too smart, too good of a citizen, it's just strange," Logan explained.

"You think he's a Familiar?" Max asked incredulously.

"No, of course not. But, I dunno, this seems too risky," Logan said warily.

Max paced around the living room area of Logan's apartment. "And here I thought you'd be happy!" she said angrily.

"Max, calm down..."

"No, I won't. Damn it, Logan, this is our chance! And you don't even want to pursue it cuz the guy's a nerd who doesn't know how to drive? Please, gimme a break! It's like you don't want to even try," Max said passionately.

"How can you say that?" Logan said, his temper flaring as well.

"Well, it certainly seems that way," Max retorted.

"I'm just thinking about the big picture, that's all. We'd have to explain to Jacob about this virus. You just can't go up to him and say 'hey, I have this virus that's linked to a specific person's DNA and if I touch him, I kill him.' Does Kris even know about the virus?" Logan asked.

"I never told her specifically what happened. She just knows that we aren't _together_," Max said.

"Exactly, so we'd be bringing in Kris as well. And if something goes wrong, and Kris is involved, how do you think that would make her feel? She's already gone through enough crap to last ten lifetimes. And then the fact that Medex is tied directly to the federal government, the same federal government that might find out about the existence of transgenetics any second, doesn't help the situation either. What happens if Jacob tells someone about this and they come for you? I'd rather you be alive and I can't touch you versus the idea of you locked up in some testing facility," Logan concluded, clearly worried.

Max was speechless. Logan's concern for her made her want to kiss him even more, which didn't help the situation. 

"Why don't we ask Kris to come over, see if she thinks Jacob would be willing to help?" Max suggested after a long silence.

Logan sighed. "Alright. We'll take it from there," he said.

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What did you think? Please let me know! Thanks!


	14. It's Who He Is

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Author's Note: Hey all! Thanks so much for the support! I can't believe I have 58 reviews. Anyway, the reason why I'm addressing the virus situation when it has been dealt with time and time again is threefold. First, I was completely unsatisfied that Max and Logan weren't together in "Borrowed Time" and so it's a personal annoyance that I must address. Secondly, I'm trying to deepen Kris' character and uncover her past, including other men in it, since up till now her whole guy-life has been Alec. And lastly, I needed a vehicle to reveal Alec's past. 

The Kris/Alec story will ALWAYS be my main concern, but I felt like I needed to write in the virus as well. Alright, well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And please review! 

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"Hey, got your message, is everything okay?" Kris asked anxiously, entering the apartment later that day. 

"Um, how was your day with Jacob?" Max asked nervously, leading her over to Logan's couch. 

"Nice, we caught up and went to the art museum," Kris said.

"Has nice impressionist paintings," Logan commented, feigning casualness.

"Yeah," Kris said uncomfortably. Logan and Max both seemed extremely pensive. Something was wrong. "Guys, what is it?"

Logan and Max looked at each other nervously.

"I never told you the reason why Logan and I aren't really together," Max said bluntly, as she sat down on Logan's oversized chair.

"No," Kris replied, sitting on the couch. She wondered where this conversation was going.

"Well, it's because Manticore infected me with this virus that would kill Logan if I touched him in anyway. It's specifically targeted to his DNA and we haven't been able to find a cure," Max explained.

Kris absorbed this information. Now that she thought about it, Logan and Max never hugged, never held hands, nothing. Wow, that must have been terribly hard, especially when she could see the look in their eyes when they saw each other. It was of...yearning, she now realized. 

"Kris?" Logan asked.

"So...what can I do?" 

"We were wondering if you thought Jacob could help," Max said.

Kris was silent for a while. "I don't know guys. I mean, Jacob's brilliant but something as specialized as this might take a while and he's only going to be here for a week..."

"If you think it's a bad idea then..." Max started.

"I didn't say that," Kris said, cutting her off. "It's just...complicated."

"Is there a problem? Jacob looked really clean." Logan asked Kris suspiciously."Oh you checked on him? There's no problem. Jacob's just a brilliant guy who's life revolves around his research," Kris explained.

Logan sighed, his previous fears of Jacob subsided. 

"Have you asked anyone else to research this virus before?" Kris asked, curious.

"There was this Manticore lab tech who made the virus. We paid him to find a cure but..." Logan trailed off.

"But?"

"But Alec screwed up," Max blurted out angrily. Although she had forgiven Alec, she didn't forget. 

"What?" Kris asked, confused.

"It was about a year ago. This tech guy wanted to skip town and that's why he needed the money. He said he'd find a cure to the virus for a fee before he left, but part of the money had to go towards saving Alec's ass. There was a mini-explosive in the back of his neck and it would have blown his brains out if the tech didn't remove it," Max explained. 

Kris looked at Max quizzically. "And how did Alec get that bomb thing in him to begin with?"

"White threatened to kill Alec and so Alec volunteered to hunt some transgenetics for White to save his own life. White put the microexplosive in him and said he would only take it out if Alec killed three of us. Alec tried to kill me and Joshua but he couldn't go through with it," Max explained.

"What?!? Alec worked for White and tried to kill you?" Kris asked angrily, unable to believe any of this information. 

Max paled. She had temporarily forgotten Kris' involvement with White. To her, Alec must have looked just as bad a Familiar, just as bad as Sean.

"Well, you hafta understand that Alec was a major jerk before he met you. He pulled a lot of shit and got into a lot of trouble and I save his ass a ton of times. But, he's different now, really," Max insisted. This was one of those few times she had said too much.

Kris looked hurt. "Whatever, let's not talk about Alec anymore. What info did this Manticore tech give you?" she asked, brushing the issue aside for the time being. 

Logan grabbed some papers from his computer area and handed them to Kris. She studied them for a long time while Logan and Max looked at her curiously. When they looked at the information, it looked like gibberish.

"He was trying to kill the virus inside Max by creating an antibody, but since Max already had the antibodies in her system, it didn't work. Transgenetics apparently have antibodies to all know viruses in their bodies when they are created. It seems like that's as far as he got," she explained.

"How...how did you understand that?" Logan asked, amazed.

Kris blushed. "I was good in bio and chem in high school and I studied everything Jacob brought back to the house during the period I was with his family. It kept my mind off Sean. So basically, I breathed this stuff for three months," Kris said. "I can't perform any of the experiments, but I understand the ideas."

Max nodded. "But you're telling me that the information we have is useless?" _After all that, we don't even have a starting point_, she thought dejectedly.

"Well, we know what not to do," Kris said encouragingly. 

Logan and Max chuckled.

"Look," Kris started seriously, "there are no guarantees. He's only here for a week. And his specialty is vaccines not..." Kris stopped talking as she had a realization.

"Kris?" Logan asked.

"Vaccine!" She looked directly at Logan. "The tech was focusing on Max, but maybe he should have been focusing on you," she said excitedly. Her head was spinning with her idea. "If a sort of vaccine could be generated from the virus in Max and injected into you, your body could create antibodies for it. That way, you'd be immune to the virus!"

Max looked at Kris, astonished. It sounded too easy. "Are you sure?"

Kris shook her head. "No, but it's a start. Anyway, I'll talk to Jacob about this all later today. Can I keep this copy of the work?"

"Yeah, take it," Logan said. "We made lots."

"Alright," Kris said. "What should the cover story be?"

"Tell him there was an experiment done on me cuz some radical right-wing group wanted to kill Logan since he works for Eyes Only," Max said. 

"Alright. I gotta go now, but I'll talk with him and I'm sure he'd want to help," Kris said. 

"Thank you," Max said gratefully.

Kris shook her head. "It's the least I can do after how you helped me," she replied. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She banged on the door violently. No answer. She knew he was in there. She should have brought the key to his place.

"What?" Alec asked annoyed as he opened the door. "Oh, Kris, hey," he said softer, letting her in. "Why didn't you use the key?"

"Didn't have it," she retorted as she walked in, stopping at the other end of living room. She looked at him. 

He just got out of the shower, a towel around his waist and another one draping his shoulders for his hair. Water dripped off his hair and onto his wonderfully toned body. This was _the_ worse way she could have seen him when she was about to give him a piece of her mind, so she looked everywhere but at him.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked from across the room. Kris looked pissed.

"You could have told me you worked for White! That you tried to kill Max and Josh!" she yelled.

"What?" Alec exclaimed angrily, clearly shocked.

"Don't try to deny it! Max told me. How could you keep this from me? I thought all that crap was behind me and now..." she didn't know what else to say. When Max mentioned White, memories of Sean and deception and hurt came flooding back. 

"I thought it was all behind me too!" Alec yelled back defensively.

"Shit, I don't believe how selfish you are!" Kris attacked. Deep down, she felt deceived by Alec. 

"It wasn't like I went out and searched for White to join him and his crazy cult or something like that! He trapped me in a cage, threatened to kill me, and so it was either help him out or die. Well, I didn't wanna die! But it's not like I killed them anyway!" he shouted back. 

"Thank you, Great Alec, for sparing their lives," Kris replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

Alec wanted to flinch back at her tone, but he wasn't about to show weakness now. "It was for survival! I didn't think it was a big deal!" he snapped back.

"Yeah, well, obviously," she said, crossing her arms. "I can't believe you never bothered to think that you should tell me! After you knew what he and the Familiars did to me!" 

Part of Alec knew she was right. But when would it have been a convenient time to say, _Oh, by the way, Kris, I was willing to kill fellow transgenetics for White because he was going to kill me if I didn't. Yeah, I was a real big shithead back then, and hell, I probably still am. Hey, wanna eat some sorbet now? _

"You know, there are a lot of things in my past that I'm not proud of. Stuff I did when I didn't know you, stuff I did even after I knew you. I've gained people's trust so when it was time for me to kill them, they wouldn't fight much; I've screwed women to get information or just for the hell of it; I've had dealings with convicted murderers, rapists, you name it...the list goes on and on. They're all parts of me," he said, trying to scare her.

"Unbelievable..." she said, shaking her head. He was avoiding giving her a decent reason why he never told her about White by painting a upsetting picture of himself. 

"Believe it because it's true. And if you think that I'm bullshitting you, you better really think about who you're dealing with," he warned condescendingly. 

"I know the basic ideas of what you had done and what you are capable of doing, but when I was given a specific scenario, it just freaked me out, especially because it was White..." she trailed off, unable to mask the hurt inside. 

But she knew Alec.

"Hey, that's just who I am," Alec replied arrogantly. Half of him was screaming inside for just not apologizing and ending the argument. But the other half that was acting like a jerk wanted to test her, see how much she would take of his game before walking out on him for good. 

In truth he never meant to hurt her, that was why he never told her about White in the first place. He had not wanted her opinion of him to diminish, especially when she was most likely comparing him to other men in her life. And, quite frankly, he didn't think he could measure up to the character Sean had devised, the super-rich Jacob, or the caped-crusader Logan. It was best now to act like the asshole so she wouldn't even bother comparing him to them.

Kris turned away from him to think. Why was he acting like this? Just to show that he could be a jackass? She thought their relationship had moved well beyond the charades, but apparently not. 

She didn't respond. 

"Look, I never expected you to stick around this long. And I'm obviously not the person you think I am," he said casually, reverting back to his previous, walled-up self. 

She looked at him with disbelief. "So you think that just cuz I freaked out momentarily that I'm walking out of your life?" she asked him directly. She finally understood what he was doing.

His walls crumbled. "Well, I just thought..." he started, clearly surprised. She cut right through his defense mechanism and hit him where he was vulnerable. 

She walked over to him determinedly and placed her hand on his chest over his heart. It was the same heartbeat she felt that night four months ago when he held her after that hideous dream. He had comforted her then, and now it was her turn to reassure him. Her opinion of him might have been jarred but not changed, even with his game-playing. He was still Alec. 

"I'm sorry that I got all pissed. I just wish I had heard it from you instead of Max because I didn't think you'd keep something like that from me. But I do know who you are, so don't push me away with that crap," she stated quietly, looking straight at him. 

Alec was taken off guard and couldn't find anything to really say. She just...accepted all that stuff he said to frighten her. He had been a complete jerk and she was still there? Somehow he felt more emotionally than physically naked at that moment. He inadvertently had showed her a weakness by trying to hide himself. She didn't exploit it, like Manticore would have done, but rather, acknowledged it as part of him.

"I have to go," Kris said uncomfortably when Alec didn't reply. She removed her hand from his chest and started for the door. 

She was at the door when he finally said, "I'm sorry." He searched for more things to say, "I should have told you about White. I just, I didn't want you to know that part of me. And sorry about acting like an ass just now. I just, I..."

"It's alright, Alec," Kris said understandingly. "I'm sorry I was really mean about it all." 

"You had a right to be. You know, we just had our first fight," he realized, a hint of pride in his voice. He never bothered to know a girl long enough to get into a fight with her...other than Max. 

Kris thought about it. "After what? Ten months? I'm surprised we lasted this long without one," she joked.

"Must be my alluring nature..." Alec started cockily.

"Of course," Kris teased. They smiled at each other and she left. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I think the story's bullshit," Jacob said. 

Kris was silent. 

"Look, if you can't tell me why Max has this virus that can kill Logan, then don't. But you're a terrible liar," Jacob said, placing his hand over Kris'.

"I can't tell you," she replied honestly. "But will you help?" 

"Yeah."

Kris was so happy. She hugged him tight, "Thank you so much! This will mean so much to them!" she exclaimed.

Jacob smiled as he held her, remembering all the times they stayed up studying his work. It had always amazed him how Kris could understand his research when she had never even gone to college. But she was incredibly intelligent and Jacob loved that about her, along with many other of her characteristics.

"Here's the research a lab tech did," she said after they pulled apart, handing him the stack of papers Logan had given her. 

He studied them for quite a while. 

"What do you think about a vaccination for Logan?" she asked him.

"Huh. That's a possibility. It looks like the virus is a strain of Zycinor," Jacob mumbled to himself.

"Zycinor?" Kris asked. She had never heard of it.

"It's a biowarfare agent. Kills by resembling a massive allergic reaction. Hives, breathing problems, incredibly weakened immune system...people die in a matter of hours," he replied, still studying the papers. 

"Oh," Kris said, thinking. She figured something like this must have happened to Logan in order for Max and him to know they couldn't touch. She frowned. 

"But Medex just created the vaccine for it," Jacob added, a small smile on his lips.

Kris started laughing with happiness. "Oh, I was so right!" she said. 

"Yup," Jacob replied. "Assuming this virus is Zycinor."

"Aw, don't burst my ego bubble," Kris replied.

"Anyway, I'll need blood samples from Max and Logan."

"What about a lab?"

"There's a Medex research facility here in Seattle and I have access to all of it. We can use that and there are vaccine there as well," Jacob said.

"Will it be safe? I mean, no other person can know about this," Kris warned Jacob.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Don't worry about it. We'll start tomorrow," Jacob assured.

"We?"

"Well, aren't you going to help me?" he asked.

"I actually hadn't thought about it," she replied honestly. What could she do? She wasn't experienced in lab work.

"I need you," Jacob insisted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Sorry it took a while to update, but I was trying to get the Alec/Kris fight just right. I must have rewritten that section literally seven times. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!


	15. That Virus Bitch is Going Down

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Author's Note: Thank you, thank you for all the great reviews! Alright, so I just figured I'd settle the virus thing in one chapter because then we'd all get closure. I've already strung along the Kris/Alec thing a long time to add layers to their relationship and I want to go back to that. So, for all my exclusively Kris/Alec fans out there...CHAPTER 16 is for you! Please be patient, I should have that one out by Sunday. Okay, well, hope you enjoy, please review if you have the chance!!

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"Wait, are you telling me that Jacob is some freaky genius guy and Kris is a science whiz?" Alec asked Max disbelievingly the next day at Jam Pony. She had just told him all about Jacob agreeing to try to stop the virus and Kris helping him do so.

"Basically, yeah. Kris called me last night and confirmed that Jacob was in. They start today."

"Won't Jacob know you're a transgenetic?" Alec asked, worried. Could he be trusted with something like that?

She shook her head. He won't be looking at my DNA, just my blood. And my blood just looks like regular blood, type O, you know, the regulars. He'll be focusing on Logan's DNA to match the vaccine to the strain. But listen, I need a favor," Max said, getting to the point of why she told Alec all of this.

"Again?" Alec teased. Max hit him in the gut gently as a warning. "Yeah, yeah, sure, I was just kidding, Maxie," he teased some more.

Max turned serious. "If something goes wrong, and Logan is infected with the virus, can you please give him your blood?" she asked.

Alec looked at her curiously.

"Apparently, the transgenetics have antibodies to these biowarfare viruses which can be transferred to regular people, but mine are infected with the virus, so I wouldn't be able to help him. So if it came to that, could you do this?" Max asked him modestly. 

Alec was shock by her polite nature. "Of course, Max," he said seriously. 

She smiled. Alec was definitely a better Alec now, fourteen months after he got out of Manticore. "Thanks," she replied appreciatively.

He smiled back. 

Just then Kris came bustling into Jam Pony, fifteen minutes late, with a large coffee in her hand. 

"You're late, missy," Normal scolded lightly as she went to her locker.

"Sorry, Normal, sir, I overslept," Kris explained. Normal brushed the mistake off lightly.

"Overslept?" Alec asked her incredulously.

"Yeah," she said as she opened her locker. "Jacob and I were studying until the early morning and I woke up like twenty minutes ago."

"Studying what?" Alec asked casually, knowing the answer already.

Kris wasn't sure how to answer. "Oh, well, um, we were uh..." She couldn't find a good excuse, so she sipped some coffee to buy some time. 

"It's okay, Kris. Max told me the whole deal," Alec said.

"Oh? Good," she sighed with relief. She wasn't too good at keeping things from Alec. 

"So, you never told me you were a brainiac," Alec teased.

"I'm not. I just understand this stuff," she said hurriedly.

"Sure," Alec said, not believing her.

"Seriously, I never went to college, and barely scrapped by in high school, but science just came to me easily. I don't know why," she insisted, clearly annoyed.

Alec frowned, he didn't know this would make her so uncomfortable. "Sorry, I was just kidding around," Alec said, getting a package for them to deliver together.

"I know, it's just, I guess Jacob is getting to me a little," Kris said, slightly annoyed, as they walked out of Jam Pony.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked.

"Last night he was telling me how I should go to college and whatever cuz I have a _brilliant mind_, is how he put it, but he doesn't understand," Kris explained.

"Understand what?"

"School is stupid and not for me," she said simply, taking another gulp of coffee.

Alec nodded. "I wouldn't really know. School for me was um...not really school," Alec said uncomfortably. 

Kris internally slapped herself. "Yeah," she said sadly. 

She was constantly forgetting that Alec didn't have a regular past. He just seemed like...a normal guy. Granted when he came back from his crime fighting with cuts that healed the next day or when he didn't know things like pop culture she was reminded that he was a transgenic who was trapped in a prison for twenty years, but other than that, he was...Alec. She supposed that was why she didn't understand this whole transgenetic frenzy. If these people who had the phobia actually took a minute to get to know the transgenetics, they would learn that they were just like the rest of the population. But people got scared quickly and made poor judgments even quicker. 

As they biked to the delivery location, Alec asked, "So, about last night, are we cool?"

"Yeah, as a cucumber," Kris replied truthfully. 

Alec laughed. "Good. Let's not fight again, ever," he suggested, somewhat naively.

"Well, it's sorta inevitable," she said, smiling.

"Oh, joy..." Alec deadpanned.

"No worries. It's part of any relationship," she said sagely.

"Relationship, eh?" Alec said, a cocky grin on his face. 

Kris sighed, feigning annoyance. "By the way, you probably won't be seeing too much of me for the next week."

Alec smirked at the fact that she didn't say _no _to the relationship thing. He had learned from her that there were many type of relationships. "Yeah, I know," he said, hiding his disappointment.

"I gotta help Jacob with the virus thing. We can't bring in anyone else and he might need an assistant type-of-person. We really need to do this by the end of the week cuz he has to go back to L.A. We're starting right after work today by getting samples of Max and Logan's blood and then heading over to the lab," Kris explained.

"I understand," Alec replied. He wasn't crazy about she and Jacob spending countless hours together, but he wasn't about to selfishly deny Max and Logan a possible solution to their physical problem just because he was feeling slightly...insecure. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is definitely a strain of Zycinor," Jacob said confidently after examining Max's blood later that day at the lab. 

"What does that mean?" Max asked anxiously.

"Well, we just have to modify the vaccine to fit this particular strain and Logan will be immune to it," Jacob explained.

"Seriously?" Logan asked happily.

"Yes," Jacob replied. "Give me and Kris a few days to generate the specialized vaccine and you two should be fine."

"This is fantastic!" Logan exclaimed. Kris was shocked, Logan never seemed this happy.

"But wait, won't vaccines wear off?" Max asked skeptically.

Jacob shook his head. "The government gives civilians these primitive vaccines, telling them it would only last ten years or so, but in truth, we've created vaccines that will last a lifetime. It's just that if the government revealed that, they would lose billions of dollars because people wouldn't be returning to their doctor's office for repeated vaccinations. And well, the government is corrupt like that, but I really shouldn't complain since they license us for research," Jacob explained.

"Huh, interesting," Logan said, thinking that this could be a possible Eyes Only investigation. "How much do we owe you?"

Jacob furrowed his eyebrows. "Nothing."

"You're doing this for free?" Max asked, surprised.

"I don't want anything," he said. Well, at least nothing they could give him. 

"Wow, thank you," Logan said appreciatively.

It wasn't like he needed the money, and he loved this research kind of stuff. Kris smiled at Jacob proudly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was practically asleep at the lab six days later. She was so exhausted from working eight hours at Jam Pony and then helping Jacob with the virus, but this had to get done tonight. If not, Jacob would be leaving tomorrow with no vaccine for Logan. 

But she was truly getting tired of doing science for endless hours. She actually subjected herself to this stuff for ten hours a day for three months with Jacob's family? She must have been insane. She had to continually remind herself that she was doing this for Max and Logan. 

Jacob loved every minute he spent at the lab studying the virus and trying to match the vaccine to the strain. This kind of stuff was what he lived for, especially when Kris was beside him.

"Damn, we're so close, but this equation won't balance," Jacob said, frustrated as he looked at some papers. No matter how many times he worked it out, he was getting nowhere. 

"What?" Kris said, snatching the papers away from Jacob. Majority of the time she spent there, she was just checking Jacob's work since he was the one with all the experience. She studied them for a while and started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Just that you can't even read you're own handwriting. That's supposed to be two not a five. It's not possible to have five hydrogens on one carbon," she said, pointing out the mistake. 

Jacob laughed uneasily, it was a terribly stupid mistake. "Right, thanks," he said.

"Uh huh," she said sleepily.

A few hours later, she was awakened by Jacob's exclaim. 

"We got it!" 

"What?" Kris asked groggily.

"We did it," he said.

"Are you sure?" Kris asked him excitedly. 

"Yup. That damned five in the equation was screwing everything up. I needed a double bond there and everything else fell into place...take a look," he said proudly.

Kris looked into the microscope and saw Logan's cells unaffected by the virus because of the vaccine. "Oh my God!" she screamed with happiness. "Oh my God, oh my God! Oh my God, you did it!" She hugged Jacob happily and he held her back. This was absolutely amazing. 

"No, _we _did it," Jacob corrected. "No, I couldn't have done this without you," he insisted, looking straight into her eyes as he still had his arms around her waist.

Kris swallowed nervously. "Um, you should do it a couple more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke," she said, pulling out of his embrace.

Jacob sighed. He had been so close. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, you really think you got it?" Max asked Jacob anxiously the next day at the lab. 

"Yes, this should work. We viewed the results multiple times under the microscope and every single time Logan's cells were unaffected by the virus," Jacob answered.

As he promised, Alec came just in case Logan would need his antibodies to fight off an infection. He looked at Kris sitting next to him; she looked as though she hadn't slept in a days. Her eyes were red and she slouched on the chair with fatigue. 

"Okay, are you ready?" Jacob asked Max and Logan. They looked at each other reassuringly and nodded. 

Logan lifted up his sleeve and Jacob injected him with the vaccine. Kris bit her lip nervously, praying to any and all deities that this would work. Alec found himself holding his breath with anticipation. Max kept on shifting her weight from one foot to the other anxiously. 

"We'll need to wait about an hour to ensure that the vaccine circulates throughout your body," Jacob said, placing a bandage over the spot on Logan's arm where he injected the virus. 

Alec exhaled deeply. He thought the results would have been instantaneous, showed how little he knew about science. Gruesome ways of killing people, yeah, he knew a lot, but science...nothing. He shook his head sadly. 

"You okay?" Kris asked him.

"Yeah, fine," he said casually.

She chuckled. "Right," she said incredulously.

"No really, I am," he insisted. 

"It's completely nerve-wracking," Kris commented.

"It'll be fine," Alec assured her and himself.

"Yeah, well, if it's not and something happens to Logan, I mean, if..." she trailed off. 

"Hey," Alec said comfortingly, "if it gets to that, you got my blood."

Kris smiled and rested her head against Alec's shoulder. "Thanks, Alec," she replied tiredly.

"Sure thing," he replied.

Jacob was quadruple checking all the calculations to make sure that they had done everything correctly when he saw Kris leaning against Alec as she rested. His heart constricted for a second with jealousy. Why was Alec even there? Max had insisted he come and Jacob didn't ask questions, but he was still suspicious. Jacob would be leaving today and would that be the end of his relationship with Kris? 

"Okay," Jacob said after an hour of waiting that felt like days. "The vaccine should be in your system completely." Alec shook Kris awake and everyone stood up with nervous anticipation.

"So, that's it?" Max asked, letting the excitement seep into her voice.

Jacob nodded.

She turned to Logan, whose eyes were already on her. Logan smiled tentatively.

"So, what do you say?" he asked Max, holding out his hand for hers.

She looked at it, "Are you sure about this?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Yes," Logan replied. 

She slowly reached out so her hand met his, almost anticipating Logan to collapse from an infection. 

But he didn't. 

His hand felt warm and a bit damp with all the nervous sweat, but Max didn't care. She was feeling his skin against hers for the first time in over a year. She began to laugh with happiness, but she could not control the overwhelming emotions of the whole experience and began to cry. She rarely cried. But there she was, crying because she was holding Logan's hand. 

"Come here," Logan whispered, pulling Max into a hug. God, it felt good to have her body against his, he had almost forgotten the feeling. Logan let go of her hand to gently touch her face and wipe the tears away. "You have really soft skin," he said in amazement.

Max smiled, "Thanks," she said, her eyes still watery. She reached up to wrap her arm around his neck and bring him down to her lips for a kiss. This was all so amazing. 

Kris watched as she stood next to Alec, wiping a tear occasionally off her face. She was so happy for them. Knowing that she was part of them coming together was an indescribable feeling. She looked up at Alec and saw that he had his stare fixed on the floor. 

Alec was never a fan of happy couples, it just reminded him of what he would never have. But he grudgingly had to admit that no one deserved this more than Logan and Max.

Jacob proudly watched, detached from the emotions of the group. He had succeeded in many aspects. He had found Kris, regained her friendship, and brought two people in love together with science. He could only ask for one more thing.

Just then Max came over to Jacob, "Thank you for doing this for us. It's a miracle. I...thank you," she said appreciatively.

Logan shook his hand vigorously, his usually eloquence gone. 

"My pleasure," Jacob replied honestly.

"Congrats, Maxie," Alec said. 

Instead of punching him for the nickname, she flung her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Alec," she said. 

Alec was surprised but hugged her back, smiling. After she let him go, Logan shook his hand and grabbed his shoulder affectionately.

"I can't thank you enough," Max said to Kris. 

Kris tried to find something to say, but couldn't, so she shook her head. Finally finding her voice she said, "No, I'm so happy I could help." Max gave her a big hug.

"Thank you," Logan said, hugging Kris. 

"You're welcome." 

After the thank you's were over, Logan and Max walked hand in hand out of the lab and back to Logan's apartment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Leaving?" Kris asked later that day after she had taken a nice, long nap. 

"Yeah," Jacob said, packing. 

"Oh," Kris said. "Um, I don't think I ever said 'thank you' for helping Max and Logan," she said gratefully. 

Jacob smiled. "You did," he reassured her. All of the sudden, he stopped packing and turned to her. He had to do this. "You know when you asked me what I was doing here before?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah," Kris replied suspiciously.

"I didn't tell the whole truth," he confessed.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I want you to come back with me," he said quickly.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"I want you to come back to L.A. with me. Sean's been dead for a year, there's no reason to avoid the city any longer. We can make new memories there," Jacob explained quickly.

"What about here?" she asked him slowly.

"What about here?" Jacob replied.

"My apartment, my job..." Kris started.

"I'll pay your next month's rent and you can go to college," Jacob said.

"But I just can't live off your family forever. That's ridiculous, I'm not even part of the family," she replied.

"Then become part of it, eventually," he said passionately.

"What?" She was so confused.

Jacob sighed. He walked over to where she was standing in the kitchenette and took her hands. "Remember when we first met? You were in the library at my house reading my work and I got so angry at you because it was classified information. And then you just replied _It's not delta p, it's delta q _as you flung the papers back at me and stormed out of the room. You were right, I had made a mistake and you caught it. And then something inside me, I don't know, but...I think I've loved you since then. And if you'd give it a chance, maybe you could love me back," he finished quickly.

Kris was shocked. She didn't know what to say in return. She didn't love him. Could she? She wasn't sure at the moment. He was like her big brother and thinking of him as her lover confused her. 

But she could go home to L.A., she could be taken care of. She wouldn't have to worry about the grocery shopping, or the bills, or waking up early for work, or any of it. Her mind became caught up in all the wonders of a more comfortable life. 

"Okay," she said quietly.

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Yay, Max and Logan can get it on now...hooray! Anyway, Chapter 16 should be coming up soon. Hope you enjoyed this!


	16. Trust

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Author's Note: Thank you, thank you for all the great reviews! I'm so glad that I was able to reach out to some M/A shippers too...that's so awesome. Anyway, here it is folks...Chapter 16. I hope you like it, I've re-written it many, many times to try to get it just right, since this chapter and the next, I feel, are the most crucial to the story. Okay, please review, hope you enjoy!!

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_Okay? _he thought. She had said _okay_? _Well, why wouldn't she, there's obviously nothing here_, he thought wryly. He felt hurt, especially after that fight a week ago that he thought had brought them closer together. 

Alec had been listening outside the door of her apartment. Thinking Jacob had already left by then, since it was nine at night, he had heard everything. Jacob's corny confession of love, all of it. 

Alec selfishly wanted her to stay, but it was better that she leave. White was still out there somewhere, doubtlessly furious that she killed Sean. The transgenetic frenzy was getting quite daunting even in Alec's opinion. She could live the life of luxury, probably better than even how Logan lived, and Logan was the richest guy Alec knew. 

Hell, he should leave too, now that he thought about it. There would be nothing left in Seattle. Well, no, there was still Max and O.C. and Sketchy and Logan, but they would find new friends and a new pseudo-crime-fighter. He needed to get out of this place filled with memories of her. He went home to pack.

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Jacob's eyes lit up. "Great! The plane leaves in two hours so you have to pack just the essentials. I'll ship over the rest of the stuff later."

"Right," she said unemotionally. What did she just get herself into? It didn't matter now. She began packing some clothes. Why did she feel so empty? She tried to convince herself that she would be happy in L.A. She had nothing here. 

Wait, how could she be this stupid? Everything was here. _Alec was here_. She stopped packing. She couldn't leave. What had she been thinking? Well, she hadn't been thinking, that was for sure. But now her mind was racing. She scolded herself and her momentary idiocy. She finally knew what she had to do, and leaving wasn't it. 

"Hey, Kris, are you okay?" Jacob asked, coming into her room where she had stopped packing.

She turned to face him. "I can't leave."

Jacob frowned. "What?"

"I can't leave."

"Kris, c'mon, pack up."

"No, aren't you listening to me? I can't leave," she said for the third time. Each time she said it, she knew this was the right decision.

"What's here then?" Jacob asked suspiciously.

"My friends," she said.

"You can make new friends in L.A.," Jacob said dismissively. Though he liked Logan and Max, he didn't want her to stay just because of them.

"I don't want new friends, Jacob," she stated. "I love them, I can't leave them."

"They're a bunch of delivery people who get drunk every night to drown out the fact that they are going nowhere in life," Jacob said angrily.

"How can you say that?" she asked, never having seen this mean side of Jacob before. "You just helped two of them."

"I helped them because you asked me to, but you don't belong here," he insisted. 

"People change, Jacob. I'm not the lost little girl I was a year ago who needed to be taken care of and read your work to drown out the pain she felt. I'm almost twenty-one years old and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I need to stay here," she said firmly.

"But we make such a great team," he said.

"Jacob, I've never even gone to college! And I don't want to be a scientist, I'm just good at the stuff," Kris replied. "You never bothered asking me if I enjoy science, which I don't."

"My family can pay for the college and then you can work for Medex with me," Jacob said.

Kris just looked at him. It was like he wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying. 

"I don't want to work at Medex or any of that. I want to stay here," she stated.

"It's not safe here, Kris."

"It's not safe in L.A. either," she retorted.

"No, I'm talking about this transgenetic thing," he said, spitting out the word.

"What?"

"They're monsters, Kris, and they congregate in Seattle. It's dangerous here, you could get hurt. There are ones that look like humans who were trained to kill, Kris. They're these man-made soldiers who enjoy killing!"

She tried not to laugh at the irony of Jacob helping a transgenetic and then saying something as ridiculous as that. She didn't reply.

"Come home with me, Kris. I can make you happy," he persisted softly.

She looked at Jacob and knew that wasn't true. "You can't make me happy, Jacob. I'm the only one who can do that," she said softly, but full of determination. And the only way she would be happy would be if she got herself over to Alec's apartment quickly. 

Jacob sighed. "Fine, Kris. You're making the biggest mistake of your life," he warned angrily, leaving her room and grabbing his suitcase. "You want to waste away in some shit town with unrealized potential then fine, it's your decision, but I'm not coming back again." He knew why she was staying. It was because of that Alec guy. He couldn't believe that he had lost to a delivery jerk with no future.

There was no way she could have dealt with Jacob's mean arrogance for a long period of time. She had never known that side of him, then again, she was really preoccupied during the time she stayed with his family. She probably never really knew him to begin with. She was making the right decision. 

"I'm sorry, Jacob."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was raining hard. He was packed, it was about an hour after he had heard Kris say she'd go back with Jacob. He would leave in the morning on his motorcycle, go somewhere, anywhere, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. 

He chuckled to himself. He was such a wreck, all because of some girl. No, not some girl, _the_ girl. But that didn't matter now. She had made her decision, and he couldn't blame her. What girl wouldn't want a guy who was intelligent and loaded? 

But part of Alec couldn't believe that she was leaving. She seemed finally happy here, after all those long nights of crying about Sean. But he didn't know her when she was in Los Angeles and she was probably a lot happier then than now. 

He did have one regret though, he never took the chance. It always seemed like the wrong time. First, because Kris thought Sean was dead, then because Alec didn't want her to be a one-night-stand, then because she killed Sean and suffered enormously, and now...well, it didn't matter now. Or perhaps it mattered too much. Either way, Alec didn't want to think about it anymore. 

She would probably come by to say goodbye and he wondered what he would say. Confess his undying devotion to her? No, he wasn't some shmuck like Jacob. But the prospect of Kris leaving him forever hurt...badly. He hated these human emotions. He hated himself for having feelings for a girl who would be leaving him soon. And he selfishly hated her for leaving him. 

There was a knock on the door.

Alec took a deep breath and opened it. Sure enough, there was Kris, soaking wet. 

"Hi," she said as she shivered. 

"Hey," he said, steeling himself for the news she would give him. But God, she looked amazing even though her hair was plastered to her face and she was shaking uncontrollably. Her green shirt clung to her wet skin in all the right places...

"I forgot your key again. Can I come in?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh, yeah," he said, allowing her entrance. "Why are you all wet?"

"I walked over here," she replied.

"What? With no jacket or umbrella?"

"I wasn't thinking about that," she replied. She just wanted to get to him. 

"That's like six blocks in the pouring rain!" Alec exclaimed. Why couldn't Jacob drive her over here to say goodbye? _What an ass_, Alec thought.

"I wanted to see you," she stated simply, still shivering.

"How come?" Alec asked, trying to make her fess up to her departure as quickly as possible.

Kris thought hastily. She didn't want to tell him right then. She was cold and wet and her nerves were overwhelming her. So she thought of an excuse, "Pizza. The pizza you owe me from a week ago. I...I was just wondering when we were going to eat it," she finished lamely. 

She walked five blocks in the rain to ask him about pizza when she could have just called him? Alec frowned. Lying was never her forte. "I'll get you a towel," he said, going to the bathroom.

She knew Alec didn't believe her. Why was she so terrible at lying? While he was gone, she saw there was a duffel bag on the couch. She panicked. 

"Here," he said, handing her the towel.

"Thanks. Are you going somewhere?" she asked him tentatively, pointing to the bag.

"Yeah, I leave in the morning."

Her heart sank. Just when she was ready to...it didn't matter now. "Oh, are you coming back?" she croaked out, fearing his response. _It's better, he'll be safer_, she tried to convince herself. But her hopes had been trampled on right at the moment she wanted to pour her heart out.

"No," he said firmly. 

Yup. She was too late, she had lost her chance. She wrapped the towel around her cold body feeling dreadfully alone even though Alec was in the same room. She looked at him. This would be the last time she saw him, and she memorized his image. His dark blue jeans and white shirt and slightly ruffled brown hair would always be with her. She couldn't tell if the drops on her face were from the rain or tears. 

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked impatiently. This was getting unbearable. He just wanted to get the goodbyes over with so he could move on and forget about her. 

"Huh?"

"Jacob. Aren't you going back to L.A. with him?" he asked her, annoyed that she was playing innocent.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"I was outside your door. I overheard. He loves you, he'll put you through college, he'll shower you with riches, blah, blah, blah," he said causally.

"I'm not going."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not going," she repeated. She felt like she had been repeating herself a lot that day. 

"You said _okay_," he stated.

"I know, but I was being an idiot," she replied. "Consider it as temporary insanity."

"But you could get out of this place. You could do important science research, save the world or something. And you could live comfortably. You could sit on a couch that wasn't lumpy. You could eat sorbet anytime you wanted instead of only after payday because that's the only time we can afford it. You could have anything you want, you could be happy," Alec ranted.

She looked at him curiously. Why did people equate riches with happiness? It really seemed like he wanted her to go. Did he want her out of his life? Things weren't making any sense. 

"Like I told you, the college route was never for me. And I don't like science, I just understand it. I helped out Max and Logan because they're my friends, not because my ambition is to do research. And besides...I _am_ happy," she replied. 

Alec sighed. He couldn't believe he was trying to convince her to go. He should have been jumping for joy at that moment since she said she was staying, but instead he was trying to make her leave. 

"What are you staying for?"

"My friends. Max, Logan, O.C., Sketchy, and you," she said.

"We're not worth it," he stated.

"Of course you are."

"No, I'm not worth it," he restated.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!" he yelled. 

She killed Sean for him and went through all that emotional turmoil because she saved him. Now she was going to forsake a better life for him? Though it was touching because it reassured him that he was important to her, he refused to be responsible for her future regrets. 

"Yes, you are! You are! Alec, I'm staying! Please don't push me away..." she yelled desperately.

"But you'll regret this," he warned loudly.

"No, I won't! I'll regret it if I go," she replied fervently.

"Why?" he asked, practically shouting. He just couldn't understand. "Don't you want that sorta life?" 

"Damn it, Alec! I could care less about that. I only want you!" she blurted out. 

She shocked herself with her own confession. She intended to tell him everything that night, all the things she felt for him, all the things she had kept inside, but she didn't imagine it like this...completely ungraceful and soaking wet. Nonetheless, it felt strangely comforting to say that after all this time. It was like a huge proverbial weight was lifted off her shoulders.

_She wants me_, he thought. There were no extenuating circumstances this time, nothing to make what she said untrue. He was in complete shock. He walked slowly over to her, his stomach in total knots and her confession ringing beautifully in his ears.

Kris looked up at Alec tentatively. What would he think of her now? She didn't want this to ruin their friendship, because that was the most important thing to her, but if they could be more...she was now completely willing to take the chance. 

He brushed some of the wet hair off her cool face and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his warm fingertips. He kissed her then, slowly, softly. It was surreal. Never in his entire life had he been so overcome with emotion than at that moment. It was as though all his wishing, praying, and pining culminated in kissing her, fulfilling him. 

She was ready and that fact no longer scared her. For months she had pushed the idea of a deeper relationship with Alec to the back of her mind, but she didn't want to anymore. She wanted his lips on hers forever. She wanted his arms around her forever. She wanted him forever. 

All that tension that shrouded them for the past ten months dissipated with that one kiss. They parted, smiling. 

"Please don't leave," she requested quietly, her forehead against his. 

Her breath tickled his moist mouth and he loved it. She wanted him. "I was only leaving since I thought you were going," he replied. 

"Good," she said relieved, kissing him passionately. She let the blanket fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt so warm and safe now. He held her wet body against his tightly and he could feel the water soaking his shirt. When they separated for air, she walked away from him.

Alec was completely confused. "Where are you going?" he asked her. "Bedroom," she said simply.

A huge, silly grin spread across Alec's face and Kris laughed. "Right. I knew that," he said, feigning confidence. This only made Kris laugh more.

When they actually got to his bedroom, Alec began to panic. 

Kris held his hand as they walked in and felt him tense. "What's wrong?" she asked him softly, kissing his neck.

How could he do this? He, the emotionally-walled-up transgenetic who couldn't keep a girlfriend for more that a week, was going to be responsible for her heart? How could he possibly think this time would be any different than his other relationships? True, Kris was incredibly different from the other girls, but wasn't he the same guy? No matter how much he wanted to change, would he be able to treat this relationship differently? Could he trust himself to not hurt her? He honestly wasn't sure. 

"I...I'm gonna screw this up," he said regretfully.

"What? You're the more experienced one, I seriously doubt that," she teased, still kissing his neck and playing with the hem of his shirt. She really wanted it off of him.

"No, I...this is different. You're not like them, you're...you're important," he tried to explain. It all sounded so corny in his head and even more so when he tried to express it.

Kris turned serious, realizing how uncomfortable he was. "We don't have to do this tonight," she said, stopping her kisses. 

"No, that's not it. I don't want to be the in and out kinda guy anymore. I want you here, always. But I'll mess this up, I know I will. Someday, I'll hurt you and this'll all be over and I'll lose you," he stammered.

Kris had always imagined him as the suave lover, then again, he probably was with the other women. She held his face and stared into his eyes, trying to reassure him that she wasn't going anywhere. 

She wanted him to see all of her, no walls, just her. Though she was fully aware that Alec could break her heart at some point or another, that was a risk she wanted to take. 

"I trust you, Alec," she whispered.

Those four words amazed him. She trusted him with her heart, her soul, her future, everything. She gave it to him willingly as proof of her faith in him. He swore to himself that he wouldn't mess up this chance, this gift that she gave him. Alec wanted to tell her what he felt inside, but the words got caught in his throat. 

So instead, he showed her. 

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Author's Note: What do you think?? Chapter 17 is partially written, but I have a feeling, with school and all, that I won't be able to get that out for a while. There are a lot of issues I want to resolve as well, such as White, and I know how I want to resolve them, but it'll take a while to update, just a warning. I hope the knowledge that Kris and Alec are finally together will be satisfying enough for now. Thanks for your support and please let me know what you think!


	17. Whipped

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Author's Note: Hey everyone! So sorry it took this long to update, but I kept on re-writing this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it and thanks for all your wonderful reviews on my last chapter! This is mostly Kris/Alec goodness, showing them all happy before serious stuff happens later on. Please review, that would mean so much!

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"Hey, come here," Alec said softly afterwards, extending his arms.

"I thought you said snuggling is stupid," Kris teased.

"Well, I can be proven wrong, you know," he replied, wrapping his arms around her bare body.

"I see," she said, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging him around his chest. 

They were quiet for a while. "So, what happens now?" Alec asked.

"What do you mean?"

"With the whole snuggling thing. What do people do?" 

She smiled. "Well, people talk or kiss or fall asleep, it doesn't matter," she said.

"Hmm," Alec said, kissing her cheek. 

It was still surreal to him, being with her like this. He had fantasized about it enough times, sure, but actually living the fantasy was a totally different thing. How did he get this lucky? Part of him really didn't think it was luck at all, maybe, maybe this was just how his life was supposed to go. 

He was completely inexperienced at making love, but Kris treasured him at his completely vulnerable moments, which gave him such an indescribable feeling inside. It was a mixture of trust and exposure wrapped up in contentment, if that made any sense. 

Kris stroked his chest gently. She loved touching him, reassuring herself that this all was in fact a reality. It was such a strange feeling, to be this happy, this fulfilled. In retrospect, she was happy with Sean as well, but this was very different. This time, she knew there was no deception. 

After minutes of silence, Alec said uncomfortably, "Kris, I wanna tell you something, but I dunno how..."

Silence.

He looked down at the woman by his side, asleep. He sighed, "Some other time then."

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Her mouth twitched as the warm sun seeped through the window shade and hit her face. Alec smiled as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. This was too real to be one of his dreams. He felt so...content. She snuggled against his chest as she slept. Snuggled. Yeah, he would have to admit that it was rather comforting. He laughed a little with happiness.

Kris stirred and opened her eyes. She looked confused for a moment, like she didn't know where she was, but smiled wide once she remembered the events of the previous night.

"Morning," Alec said, stroking her exposed back.

She ran gentle kisses up his chest. "I'm so relieved this wasn't a dream," she said.

"Oh yeah?" Alec asked, relishing her kisses.

"I think I would have exploded with frustration if it was all a dream," she explained.

Alec laughed. "I was thinking the exact same thing earlier."

Her eyes dazzled with life. It was like part of her that was dormant for over a year was finally awake. She had this undeniably confident aurora around her, like she had known all along that this was where she wanted to end up. Right here, next to Alec. 

Alec looked at her in awe. He wanted to tell her what he couldn't the previous night, but something nameless stopped him. He didn't know why, but he had an inhibition. It had nothing to do with Kris or what happened between them, it was something inside himself that held him back from pouring out his soul to her. Perhaps the last defense mechanism Manticore inserted into his psyche, he wasn't sure.

"Did you sleep?" she asked him, breaking his trance over her.

"No," he replied. "I don't need sleep." 

She smirked. "So you just watched me sleep?"

Alec blushed slightly. "Yeah, when you sleep you look...I can't describe it..." he trailed off, embarrassed at his ineloquence. 

She kissed his forehead lightly. It was weird seeing this unconfident side of Alec but, at the same time, completely wonderful. She knew talking about mushy things was awkward for him, so she didn't press him. 

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Ten o'clock," Alec answered.

"Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, sitting up. 

"What?"

"We have work!" she said, getting out of bed.

Alec thought about it momentarily. "Wait," he said. "It's Sunday."

Kris paused and sighed. "You're right. Thank goodness," she replied, collapsing back on the bed.

"Yup," Alec said, moving over to kiss her. 

But she evaded his kiss by getting up once again. 

"Hey, that's not fair..." Alec complained. 

"I'm borrowing your blue T-shirt," she said, going over to the chest of drawers, taking it out, and putting it on.

"That's fine, but I'm not very satisfied..." Alec said grumpily from the bed. All he wanted to do was stay in bed with her. 

"Brush your teeth, then we'll work on that satisfying thing," she said rather coyly, but smiling at the same time. She went to brush her own.

Alec grinned happily, put on a shirt, and followed her to the bathroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have to do grocery shopping, wanna come?" Kris asked as they snuggled on the couch a few hours later.

"Aw, can't we stay in the entire day?" Alec replied.

Kris laughed. "Not unless you want to starve," she said. "You have no food here and I'm running low at my place too."

"I was trained so that I could go a week without food and still function," Alec replied, playfully tugging at her shirt.

"Well, I need at least two meals a day and I haven't eaten yet," she replied, prying her shirt from his grasp. It didn't matter though because Alec encircled his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. 

"Please..." he begged, massaging her shoulders.

Kris sighed with pleasure. It was very hard saying _no_ to him; she really didn't mind stay right there the entire day, but she knew they would need food later. 

"The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back. And we'll have food too," she said, trying to cajole him.

He sighed. "Fine," he said, releasing her. 

She got up and gave him a quick kiss. "C'mon, Golden Boy."

Alec smirked. "You know, I need to find a nickname for you."

"Hmm...something along the lines of _Goddess_ would work," she said facetiously, taking his hand in hers to lead them out of the apartment.

It felt weird holding hands with her as they walked to the open-air market a few blocks away. Not in a bad way, but this was something couples did, and Alec...well, he was always a single.

"If you, um, don't want to hold hands, it's alright," Kris said, noticing Alec's uneasiness. "I mean, if PDA isn't your thing and all..."

"No, it's just a little weird," Alec said. Kris lessened her grip on his hand. "In the good way, though," he added quickly. God, he was so embarrassed about his tactlessness. 

She nodded her head in understanding and Alec squeezed her hand to reassure her. 

"Wait, what's PDA?" Alec asked sheepishly.

"Public Displays of Affection," Kris explained.

"Huh." He never learned that acronym at Manticore. 

No, it wasn't the public he had a problem with, it was himself. It was as though he was fighting an internal battle. Part of him wanted to share everything with her. The other part wanted to hold back, to not let her in completely. He feared that the deepest, darkest crevices of his mind and heart were truly evil and ruthless, like Manticore intended them to be. 

"Alec, you okay?" she asked him. He seemed incredibly pensive.

"Yeah," he said, pulling her closer to him. 

He let go of her hand and led her arm around his waist, placing his own arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and he bent down to kiss her. 

"How's that for PDA?" he jested.

She laughed and kissed him back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Food is good," Alec commented while eating an apple in front of the television. 

Kris laughed, grabbing the apple from Alec and taking a bite.

"Hey! Get your own!" he said. 

Kris looked at him mischievously and took another bite before handing it back to him.

Alec sighed with mock frustration before taking the apple back.

"Aren't you glad we got food?" she teased, leaning on his shoulder as they watched the movie. They were watching _The Lion King, _of all movies, because Alec especially liked the idea of being king.

"Yes, Goddess of Apple Stealing," he teased back.

Kris laughed. "You're not getting any action now, mister," she said.

"Oh, yeah?" Alec asked, snaking his arm down her side to tickle her.

She writhed playfully under his tickling spell, spurts of laughter escaping her lips. She finally got out of his grasp and ran around the couch, Alec close behind her.

"I will catch you, you know," he said, chasing her.

"Yeah, and what will you do then?" she taunted as she ran. She knew Alec was holding back, only matching her pace instead of overtaking her with his super speed. She ran around the kitchenette. 

"Well, for one," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him tightly. "Kiss you," he finished, kissing her.

"Mm, okay, I don't mind that..." she said, returning the kiss. 

"And second..." he said, holding her with only one arm so his other one could continue tickling her. 

"Ah, no fair, it was a trap!" she cried out while giggling foolishly. She tried to escape his arm and when she finally did, she ran to the bedroom. 

"You see, my plan worked!" he said, following her there. "And you said I wasn't gonna get any action?"

"I'm not the Goddess of Apple Stealing," she claimed, kneeling on the bed.

"No, you're the Goddess of Squealing," he teased. 

She weighed her options. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll be the Goddess of Apple Stealing," she relented. 

"Haha, I win," Alec replied.

Kris smiled. "For now, Golden Boy, for now," she replied, pulling him onto the bed.

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"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, deedaleedee, there they are standing in a row..."

"Bum, bum, bum..."

"Big ones, small ones, some the size of..."

"What the hell is going on?" Normal asked, deeply disturbed by Kris' singing and Alec's accompaniment. Although early, they waltzed into work like they had not a care in the world, singing a ridiculous song about coconuts.

"Sorry, sir, didn't mean disrespect," Kris said quickly.

"I'm just wondering what would possess you to sing that..." Normal commented. "Then again, I take that back. I don't want to know."

"It's called watching _The Lion King_, drinking lots of coffee and..." Alec trailed off, whispering something flirtingly into her ear that made her flush a deep red and nudge him in the gut. Alec smiled innocently at Normal as they headed over to their lockers.

"Yeah, I definitely don't want to know..." Normal mumbled.

"Hey, O.C.," Kris greeted.

"Hey, Boo Numba Two, how goes it?" O.C. greeted.

"Um," Kris tried hard to suppress a grin, "very good, actually."

O.C. raised her eyebrows with curiosity. 

"Where's Max?" Alec asked, looking around Jam Pony.

O.C. snorted. "She said to tell Normal she ain't feelin well. She's still at Logan's."

Kris laughed slightly. She had actually forgotten about the whole no-virus thing. After all the emotional revelations these past one and a half days regarding Alec, she just...well, Alec was the only thing on her mind. 

"Hey, that's a good idea, we should have done that," Alec said to Kris, half-serious.

Kris rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling nonetheless.

O.C. looked at them both strangely. Something was definitely different about them. "Okay you two, what's up?" she asked.

Alec and Kris seemed to have a conversation with their eyes which finished with Alec nodding. 

"Kris and I are together," he explained, unable to contain the happiness in his voice.

O.C.'s eyes bulged slightly. "Since when?" she asked.

"Saturday, 11:27 at night," he answered. The two girls looked at him oddly. "I have a good memory," he said defensively.

"Well, this is...weird," O.C. commented.

"What do you mean?" Kris asked.

"It's just that you guys were always so buddy-buddy but we all thought you wouldn't fall to his wannabe-charming ways," she explained.

"What can I say? He wore me down," Kris jested as she closed her locker.

"I do have that affect on people," Alec commented.

O.C. laughed but soon turned serious. "Listen, Soldier Boy, cuz I ain't gonna say this twice. If you hurt my girl here, you know you'll be getting one hell of a beating from me. I don't care how much super DNA you got, you will get yo ass kicked to Philly, ya hear? She ain't gonna be one of yo little toys cuz you sure as hell know she deserves betta than that."

Alec nodded seriously. "Got it," he replied.

O.C. glared at Alec warningly for a few seconds before returning to her normal self. "So, later, Crash?"

Kris nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm down for that."

"You sure you just don't wanna go back home after work?" Alec asked playfully, kissing her neck from behind. 

"Oh, puhleez," O.C. said, unable to watch the display of affection. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, decided to grace us with your presence?" Alec teased as Max and Logan sat down at the table, holding hands. O.C., Sketchy, Kris and Alec were already at the Crash when they arrived. 

Both had that undeniable glow in their faces, like nothing could hurt them. Alec wondered if he and Kris were like that too. Probably. 

"Be nice," Kris said from beside him.

"I wouldn't dream of being anything but," he replied, kissing her forehead.

Max and Logan looked at each other curiously. 

"So, you two..." Logan started.

"Yes," Kris replied. 

Max and Logan nodded slowly. O.C. and Max looked at each other.

"Alec, O.C. already gave you that if you hurt her speech, right?" Max asked.

"Yup, if I hurt Kris, I will get turned inside out alive," he replied.

Max nodded. "Good."

"Well, it's about time," Logan mumbled.

"What?" Kris asked.

"Well, Kris, I mean, you had Alec whipped from day one," he explained.

Kris laughed.

"No, she didn't," Alec retorted.

"Gimme a break," Max commented.

"Hey, I mean it, I'm not the whipped type," Alec insisted.

"Boy, you are so in denial," O.C. said.

"Seriously man, we all saw it for months," Sketchy added. "Why do you think I backed down and stopped hitting on her?"

Everyone but Alec laughed. 

"Forget about then. Are you saying that you aren't whipped now?" Max asked him.

Alec couldn't lie. He was, now, but that didn't mean he was then. But he liked being with Kris. It made him happy, and he knew that she was happy too, which made him even happier. 

"So, beautiful weather we're having now, huh? Rainstorm finally cleared away," he said, clearly changing the subject. 

Everyone laughed at Alec's obvious avoidance of the question. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm whipped too," Kris whispered in his ear. 

He couldn't help but smile. 

The six friends socialized for hours, happiness filling their table. Kris would see Logan stroking Max's fingers gently as they all laughed together while Max would occasionally stroke the back of Logan's neck. Seeing this filled Kris with an indescribable feeling of accomplishment. She had helped make her friends happy. Meanwhile Max would catch Alec playing with Kris' hair as she leaned against him or see Kris smile at Alec affectionately. Some was subtle, some was not, but no one really seemed to care. What mattered was that they were all very content. 

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Author's Note: This isn't the end, no worries. Too many unresolved issues I wanna address before I am gonna end this story. Anyway, I know there wasn't much plot in this chapter, but that was sorta the point, like the calm before the storm. I know where the story is going in my head, it's just a matter of writing it down. SO, it might take a while specially with school, but I'll try my best! Okay, hopefully you will let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!


	18. Monsters Have it Easy, People Get the Go...

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Author's Note: WOW! Thank you for all the reviews!! I was added to 2 people's favorite authors list and that means SO VERY MUCH to me!! Alrighty, well, this chapter is some character development and a little mushy stuff. Hope you enjoy, please review, and lemme know what you think!

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As they rode their bikes to their last delivery a week later, Alec asked Kris, "What did you want to be when you grew up?"

"Hmm..." 

"Cuz I doubt you went to your parents at six years old and told them you wanted to work in the delivery business," Alec added.

She laughed. "I guess I would have to say a teacher," she answered.

"Seriously?" He got off his bike and she followed. They walked down a dingy alley, trying to find the location of their package's destination.

"Yeah. When I was a kid, I thought it was so cool that teachers got a two month break in the summer. After second grade I wanted to teach second grade and after fourth, I wanted to teach fourth. And then I got to high school and realized how boring school is and so being a teacher would have been miserable."

Alec laughed. "I think you would have made a cool teacher."

"No, I don't have the patience for it," she replied.

"What? You have a crazy amount of patience. Just look at me. You've been really patient with my crap and it's been stated more than once that I am a big baby," Alec conceded.

"Yeah, but..."

"But what?" he asked.

"But I like being with you. I don't think I would like being with a room full of fourth graders." 

Alec was about to say something when someone behind them mocked, "Aw...that's so sweet."

Kris and Alec spun around to see two burly thugs with knives closing in on them. Alec sighed with relief that it wasn't White or one of his breeding-cult goons, but still, this was a dangerous situation. 

"Look, fellas, we don't want any trouble," Alec said, holding up his hands, but stepping in front of Kris to protect her. 

"Neither do we," a voice said from the opposite end of the alley that Kris and Alec had just been facing. Kris spun around. Two more guys with knives were on that end. She began to panic. 

This was scarily similar to what happened to them about five months ago, when White and his men surrounded them and beat up Alec badly. But these guys could feel pain, which was a good thing at that moment.

"Yeah, we just want your money and the girl," a third guy added.

She couldn't believe these guys had coordinated this attack on them. That meant that they must have been followed, which meant that those thugs could have heard all they had been talking about. Now Kris was really panicking. Did they want her because they were hired by White? Or did they just want her because they were sick perverts? 

"You can have the money, but the girl stays with me," Alec answered forcefully. No way were they getting Kris, no way.

The other guy facing Kris finally spoke, staring at her like she was a piece of steak. "No deal," he said. 

Kris couldn't decide if this was a comforting fact or a gross one. Perhaps it was both. She now knew that they weren't working for White, but the prospect of having that guy touch her almost made her hurl right there.

"I think you should reconsider our offer," the first thug said as the four closed in on Alec and Kris. 

"No thanks," Alec spat out. 

He looked around quickly; there was nowhere Kris could hide or escape. He could take two easily at once, hell, even three, but four got messy, and he knew she would have to be responsible for defending herself. But he wanted to make sure she would be safe. 

Kris and he were back to back now, each facing two guys.

"Shit," he whispered, under his breath.

"Don't worry about me. I can take these guys, Sean taught me," she said, her voice wavering slightly as she prepared to fight. 

"If there's an opening, run," Alec said.

"Hell no, I'm not leaving you." Alec was always there for her and she wasn't about to flee when trouble faced both of them. 

However, she hadn't really fought an enemy ever, let alone two. Sean was always her opponent, but she was afraid she'd hurt him, so she always held back while they practiced. She mentally laughed at the irony of not wanting to hurt him when he couldn't have felt the pain anyways. 

Alec was about to argue with her when a knife flashed across his face.

All of the sudden a guy swung at Kris. She blocked his punch to her face but then the second guy punched her in the gut. She slammed against a wall of the alley and gasped for air but quickly had to duck to avoid getting her face smashed in. The guy's punched connected to the wall and he cussed furiously, clutching his bleeding hand. She swept her legs across the floor and the guy who had tried to punch her in the face landed on his back. The guy with the bloody fist ran towards her with the knife in hand and though she tried to dodge his attack, the knife sliced into her arm.

She cried out in pain, stumbling back against the other side of the alley.

"Yeah, feel it, bitch," the guy said, smiling wickedly. 

Now that she thought about it, this was the guy who was looking at her like she was meat. He advanced onto her, but suddenly Alec charged at him from the side, knocking him to his feet. 

"Don't you dare call her that again!" Alec yelled as he punched the guy fiercely. Kris looked over to see the two guys Alec had been fighting unconscious on the ground. When she turned back to see Alec, he was still punching the guy who cut her.

Alec froze, realizing that the man below him was terribly bloody and near death. He blinked several times, trying to assess what just happened. He had enjoyed punching that guy. Not only to get him back for hurting Kris, but he had truly _liked_ the adrenaline rush it gave him. 

He suddenly felt sick. Was he that bad of a person? Wait, was he even a person? Did real people actually enjoy hurting others like that? It was as though he had regressed ten years and he was back at Manticore, being taught that it was good to inflict pain and suffering on others. 

_No, it's not right_, he thought to himself. 

"Alec?" Kris whispered by his side, trying to get his attention. 

Alec turned to her, a distant look in his eyes.

"C'mon," she said, helping him off the man with her uninjured arm. He got up and they walked towards their bikes.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked, looking at her and her bleeding arm.

"Yeah, it's not very deep. I should have been faster though," she replied, getting on her bike.

"Can you ride back?" he asked her absently. Though he knew he should be caring about her well-being more, he was so preoccupied with his own thoughts.

"Yeah." She honestly wasn't sure, blood was flowing down her sleeve, but she was more concerned with whatever Alec was thinking and feeling at that moment. "We'll wait a couple of minutes, then call the police, okay?" she added.

"Yeah." he said, getting his cell phone out as they biked slowly back to Jam Pony.

"What the hell happened to you?" Normal asked, running out of his office to help Kris once she and Alec had gotten back.

"Four jerks surrounded us with knives," Kris said, sitting down on a bench while Alec went to get bandages and disinfectant. 

"Ah, shit," Normal replied, rolling up her sleeve to get a better look at the cut. 

"It's not bad," Kris insisted. It hurt like crazy, but she was well aware that it could have been worse.

Alec came back, kneeling down on the floor to see her cut. "They wanted money and Kris," he explained as he wet some cotton with water. 

"Sick bastards," Normal muttered under his breath.

"We called the police once we were out of the area," Alec added. "We saw them go by, so I'm pretty sure they're off the streets now."

A worried crowd gathered around Kris and Alec until Normal finally had to say, "Alright people, show's over, get back to work!"

Alec cleaned her wound gently and then disinfected it. It stung so badly that Kris began tearing. How did Alec stand it when she had cleaned him up after he had fought Sean? She felt like such a wuss just then, but it hurt tremendously. 

"Sorry," Alec said sadly. He finally got out of his trance once he saw Kris' wound, but that only made him feel even more guilty. He had enjoyed beating up that guy on top of letting Kris get hurt.

"No, no, it's cool. I dunno why I'm tearing, it's like I can't control my eyes," she replied, feigning casualness.

"Probably cuz it hurts like a mother," Normal said, angrily. "Listen you too, take the rest of the day off, I don't wanna see you in here till ten in the morning tomorrow," Normal insisted.

"Really, it's not a big deal," Kris insisted, regaining control over her eyes. 

"I don't wanna hear that. You two, out of here right now," Normal replied firmly. 

Alec nodded his head and slowly followed Kris out of Jam Pony once she was bandaged.

"God, it wasn't a big deal. I mean, it could have been, but it wasn't. And though I appreciate Normal's gesture and everything, it wasn't necessary," Kris ranted as they walked back to her apartment. 

Alec nodded in silence.

Once they got to the entrance of her building, Alec wouldn't follow her. 

"Are you coming?" she asked him from the top step once she realized he wasn't behind her.

He looked up at her. She seemed fine, shaken up, sure, but fine. Alec, on the other hand, was an internal train wreck. He had no idea what to think of himself. The image of that guy beneath him and his own enjoyment in that thug's pain resonated throughout his body and disgusted him. 

He sighed, he didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve to be happy when he was capable and willing to inflict such suffering. But no, he wasn't willing. His heart knew it was wrong...

"Alec?" Kris asked worriedly, walking down to the first step to be eye-level with him.

He refused to look at her.

"Aaaallllecccc..." Kris taunted lightly, lifting his chin so he would have to look at her. What was going on with him? She couldn't understand. 

"I'm gonna take a walk," he said, looking at her briefly and then turning away.

She frowned. What was wrong with him? She was fine, she wasn't dead. He had defended her, she had defended him, it was all good. But no, apparently not.

"Alec, what is it?" she asked softly, intertwining their fingers.

He shook his head. "Look, it's nothing. I just need to take a walk," he insisted.

She hated when he did this, when he pushed her away. What could she do to make him understand that she wanted to be there for him? To...to love him...

"Alright," she replied, letting go of his hand. She kissed him briefly and he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One hour went by. And then two. And then three. And then four. And then five. They had left work at four and now it was nine, and still no Alec in sight. Who would take five hour walks? 

Kris roamed her apartment, using the five hours to try to figure out what would possess Alec to act the way he was acting. She replayed the whole situation in her mind. They fought, that guy cut her, Alec tackled him, they fought, Alec beat him up, they got away, they called the police, the thugs are in jail. It was all pretty simple in her opinion, yet something triggered Alec's strange behavior. 

Suddenly, Alec was at the doorway of her bedroom, watching her pace around like a maniac.

"Hey, where have you been?" Kris asked, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

"Walking," he replied.

She sighed with exasperation. "For five hours?" she asked impatiently.

"Basically," he replied.

"What the hell, Alec?"

"What? What do you want from me?" he replied, annoyed.

"I just wanna know what's wrong. What happened today to make you act so weird?" she asked.

"It was nothing."

"Bullshit Alec! C'mon, just talk to me about it. Don't do this shutting-me-out crap!" she said, practically yelling.

He cringed. Another fight. So many fights...

"You wouldn't understand," he replied evasively.

"Oh, please...don't gimme that excuse. Why don't you just tell me and have me judge what I do and do not understand?" she replied, frustrated.

He shook his head. "No, you don't get it. I don't want you to understand, I never want you to understand!" he replied cryptically.

What was he talking about? Kris had no clue. "What do you mean?" she asked, quietly now.

Alec looked at her lost face. He knew she wanted to help him. He knew he wanted her help. But how could she help him? She would never understand that carnal part of him that usually remained hidden...up to today when he was beating that jerk to death. He never wanted her to fall victim to that.

He sat on her bed. "I'm a monster, Kris," he said softly.

"What?" she asked, surprised. Where did that come from?

"I liked beating the shit out of that guy."

"Well, he was a jerk..."

"No, that's not it," Alec said, cutting her off. "I liked hurting him, watching the blood sputter out of his mouth because I had knocked his teeth out. I liked making him suffer," Alec said, a mixture of disgust and pride in his voice.

Kris looked at him strangely, not knowing what to say. What could she say to that? 

"And you know what the kicker is?" Alec added. "The kicker is that I've been playing this game with myself for over a year, telling myself that that's not who I am. I'm not this bloodthirsty monster, no, of course not. What a joke. And you know what? Before, I could beat a guy to death and not feel anything. It was my job, and I did it, and that was it. Now, I have this gnawing guilt in me cuz I feel bad for practically killing someone. So, what am I, then? Before, I knew exactly who I was. I was a genetically engineered soldier who did his duty. Simple. Now...now I'm this prick who can't even protect his girlfriend from getting hurt and so to make himself feel better, beats the shit out the guy who hurt her. And this prick enjoys it, gets a thrill out of tasting another man's blood in his mouth. But oh, no...that's not who he is, right? No, he's this caring, thoughtful guy, begging for redemption for his previous life, but falling into his old ways quicker that he can say _monster_," Alec said sarcastically and cruelly. 

She hated Alec's self-deprecation. She was scared, of course, because she did see Alec beat up that guy. She didn't know he enjoyed it, but she did see it. He was willing to kill him, but something stopped him. She saw this too. But she also saw that other side of Alec that he didn't show as often at he could. That vulnerable side. Alec seemed to have forgotten it now. 

"So, what? Do you want to go back to your old life?" Kris asked. 

"Seems unavoidable," he replied coldly.

"No, you're just finding excuses," she retorted.

"What?" he said angrily. What right did she have to say to him that he was making excuses? She, the good girl who wouldn't have a clue about all this crap he was experiencing. "I knew you wouldn't understand," he added. But he was grateful for that; she was innocent in that respect.

"I don't understand your past, you're right. But, I have known you for over a year, and I've seen the man you've become. And I know that the thoughtful side of yourself that you see as a weakness, is probably your greatest strength. You seem to think that you're just lying to yourself now, that the uglier side of you is gonna pop up any minute and take you over, but it's not happening. You didn't kill that guy, and yet you still feel bad. That's compassion, that's guilt. You suppressed that side of you, it didn't conquer you. And it won't unless you let it. Don't you see? You know exactly who you are, you're just scared because it's harder being this person than the person you were before," Kris replied. 

Alec gulped hard, thinking about what she said. She was right. How was it that she knew him so well? How was it that she just...understood him? 

There was a long silence. 

Then, Alec said quietly, "Sometimes I wish I was back at Manticore. It was terrible there, but it was easier. Didn't have to really deal with the human side of yourself. And if you did, they just brainwashed you and you forgot it again."

Kris looked at him sadly. She walked over to him and sat in his lap, hugging his neck gently with one of her arms. 

"It is hard, dealing with all the crappy human emotions and stuff, but that's part of truly living. And I'd rather feel the goods and the bads rather than feel nothing at all," she whispered.

Alec nodded slowly. "You're just really good at dealing with the bads," he said.

She smiled. "More practice, that's all," she joked.

He chuckled. Alec slowly turned his head to his left to look at her whole face. She was breathtaking. Her eyes sparkled, she was smiling, she just gave off this comforting glow that enveloped both of them, reassuring him that everything would be alright.

"Thank you," he said. It was amazing how she could make him feel better.

"Of course," she replied, kissing him temple, and stroking his cheek.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply. They were silent for a while again as she sat in his lap, gently touching his face with her fingertips and lips. Alec knew he had to tell her what he should have told her a week ago, but how would she react? 

"I want to tell you something," Alec said softly, breaking the comfortable silence around them.

"Okay," she said.

She felt him fidget uncomfortably

"Are you okay?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I'm better than okay," he replied, hugging her waist. 

"So...what is it?" she asked.

"You...you changed me or I changed because of you, I'm not sure. I guess what bothered me today was that I've tried to be a good person for you, but I failed," he confessed.

"Be a good person for yourself, not me," she said. 

Alec nodded. He would try. "It's just this whole caring-about-someone-else-more-than-yourself thing is so...intense. I mean, it's never been like this. All my actions affect you. I never thought I would want this kinda thing in my life, but then I met you and got to know you and you completely turned me inside out. Instead of just wanting a one night stand, I realized that I wanted you, all of you, the whole package and I never understood how it would affect me. But that's okay, I'm learning to deal with it. And it's all worth it because I...I..." he trailed off.

She had a feeling she knew what he would say. And as much as she wanted to hear it, she didn't want it to be forced out of him.

"You don't have to say it, Alec, it's okay," she said quietly. 

He shook his head. "No, I want you to hear it from me, it's just that...it hurts," he admitted, referring to all the pent up emotions that caused him to ache inside. It felt like Alec was about to burst until he finally heard the words softly escape from his lips, "I love you, Kris." 

She looked at him in amazement. She didn't think he was actually going to say it, she would have understood if he couldn't, but he did. He did. She couldn't believe he had given that to her. It was completely...fantastic. 

"I love you too, Alec," she whispered.

Alec mentally froze that moment and all these feelings inside of him to remember forever. It was like his chest was on fire. He felt so indestructible, so safe, so...fulfilled. 

"How the hell did I get this lucky?" he whispered in wonderment. 

"I could say the same thing," Kris said, smiling. 

Alec chuckled. "I think you just gave me a line," he teased. 

"So what if I did?"

He shrugged, leaning up to kiss her.

The kiss grew more passionate and they had no desire to stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Didn't I tell you guys to come in at ten?" Normal said the next day, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. It was nine in the morning.

"I told her, but she didn't listen. She never listens," Alec teased, walking into Jam Pony with Kris.

"What can I say, Normal, sir? I couldn't stay away," Kris replied, smiling.

Normal smirked. She looked a lot better than she did yesterday, and so, for that matter, did Alec. 

"Hey, guys, you feeling alright, Kris?" Sketchy asked, coming up to Kris and giving her a hug. "I heard about yesterday. It sounded like you kicked major ass..."

"Sh..." Alec said quickly, looking at the television screen.

An anchorwoman appeared on the screen. "We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you live, breaking news." 

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****

Author's Note: I made this chapter extra long because I haven't written the next one yet, so I'm not sure how long it will take to write and get posted. What did you think? I wanted to put the whole "I love you" thing in there cuz I figured Kris deserved to hear it from Alec and Alec deserved to hear it from Kris. They've already gone through so much crap. Okay, well, the next chapter is coming, hopefully sooner rather than later, but with school and all, I can't guarantee anything. Thanks for reading my story and I hope you review!


	19. When the Stuff Hits the Fan

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Author's Note: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are amazing! And thank you so much for putting me on your favorite author's lists, you have no idea how much that means to me! **Sorry it took so long to update, but Fanfiction.net was acting funny and I couldn't upload the document. **I actually had this chapter done April 4 and was trying to upload it ever since! I hope you enjoy this chapter. 

I modified some of the wording from the actual transcripts of Dark Angel episodes for the anchorwoman's lines because I wasn't sure how to phrase it. I got the transcript from www.darkangelfan.com. I just want to give credit where credit is due. Check out the site, it's pretty cool. Alright, hope you enjoy and please review!!

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All eyes at Jam Pony were glued to the television screen and Normal turned up the volume.

"Channel Three News has obtained this shocking hoverdrone footage. Authorities are refusing to comment on the nature of the assailant. But the attacker obviously has superhuman strength," the anchorwoman continued. 

A very squat, pasty person appeared on the screen, throwing police officers against the walls and into dumpsters of an alley as if they were stuffed animals. When the camera zoomed onto the face of the attacker, everyone could see he did not look like a regular human. 

They watched in silence.

"The attacker, who was described by witnesses as a mutant, refused to obey the police officers on the scene. It is believed to have escaped from a covert government project known as Manticore. Some eyewitnesses claim that it took police six shots to bring it down..."

"Oh God," Kris said, clutching her stomach. The video of the transgenetic getting killed played on the television, and she felt sick. She couldn't help but visualize Alec or Max in that situation. 

Alec steadied her as they continued to watch.

"You can see it right there--the barcode. Unconfirmed reports suggest these brands were used to keep track of the soldiers. The mutant's body was rushed from the scene because officials regarded it as a potential biohazard," the anchorwoman continued.

Kris peeked over to Alec's neck, thanking all deities that he had the collar of his denim jacket up and covering his barcode. 

"Though gossip and unconfirmed reports of the mutants have been spreading across Seattle for months, this is the first concrete evidence of their existence," the anchorwoman said. 

When the news update ended, everyone looked at everyone else in shock, but all for different reasons.

"I knew it! I knew they were real! Who called it?" Sketchy said excitedly.

"Hell yeah they're real! Those damned things are crawling all over the city! They're a menace! I hope the cops do to all of them what they did to that one," Normal said angrily. 

Kris flinched at Normal's tone and Alec wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, squeezing her gently. He sighed dejectedly into her neck. 

"Alec..." she whispered worriedly.

"It'll be okay," he assured her quietly, though he had no proof to back up his statement. "It'll all be fine."

Max ran to the phone frantically; Kris suspected to call Logan. Max had this extremely apprehensive expression on her face that she tried to hide, but it looked as though she was breaking apart inside. O.C. went over to comfort her as best she could inconspicuously.

"You can't be sure, Alec. No one can. Everything's gonna change," Kris said sadly. 

No. He refused to listen to her. After all the crap they had been through to get to this point in their lives, he wasn't going to let something change that.

"We won't change, will we?" he whispered anxiously to her from behind.

She turned around in his arms to look into his eyes. She shook her head. "No, we won't change," she stated firmly, kissing him as the world around them fell into a black hole.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Damn it," Logan said, scanning the footage again.

"What is it?" Max asked, looking over his shoulder. She unconsciously started combing her hands through the small hairs on the back of his head. 

"The video of the transgenetic was edited. He didn't strike first, they did. Take a look," Logan replied.

Sure enough, the officers had charged at the transgenetic and in turn, he began throwing them aside in self-defense. 

"Shit," Max said angrily as she jumped up to sit on Logan's computer table. "He didn't deserve to die..."

Logan rubbed her knees gently with his hands. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." 

"So, what's the plan?" Logan asked.

Max shook her head, lost. "All the transgenetics will probably be going to Terminal City for safety, but it's only a matter of time before the government finds out about that place. I know a lot of the X5's will want to get out of Seattle, or at least have access to the different sectors. They'll need Sector Passes...damn it, this is all so shitty!" she exclaimed, placing her head in her hands.

"Hey, we'll get through this, just like we got through everything else," Logan said encouragingly. He refocused his attention on the video on his screen, and froze it when something caught his eye.

"Why can they just leave us alone. I mean, just leave us the hell alone," she said, frustrated. 

"I think I have the answer for you. See this mirror on the truck? Well, it's reflecting something. When I blew it up, it shows a black car. When I blew up the image of the driver of that car, guess who it was?" Logan said, moving aside so Max could see.

"White," she said furiously.

"He's not going to leave you guys alone," Logan said sadly.

"Not until he's dead," she replied determinedly.

"Max..."

"No, don't 'Max' me, Logan! That guy's a murderer. He'll be responsible for the deaths of a whole mess of transgenetics, I'm sure. He's going down."

"Fine, I support you on that, but you shouldn't just be jumping into something like this with no plan and no backup. Especially when you're well aware of the damage those cult guys can inflict," Logan warned.

"Well, I can't just sit on my ass and do nothing," Max said, jumping off the table and walking towards the door.

"Yeah, but I didn't think dying was an option either," Logan retorted.

Max sighed and turned around. This was all a lot easier when she didn't give a damn about anyone else. Then again, having Logan was priceless.

"What do you suggest then?" she asked quietly.

"Check up on Terminal City. See what's happening there. I can get a couple Sector Passes, but not many. So, if you need more, then maybe they can get jobs at Jam Pony or something like that. Either way, take this slow. I know you hate that, but I'm serious. The Feds, the Familiars, and the police are against us, so we gotta be three times as careful," Logan explained.

Max nodded her head grudgingly. "I hate that you're so good with that Voice of Reason thing," she commented, walking towards him and sitting on his lap.

Logan smiled and kissed her forehead. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ladies and gentlemen, the threat is real. We can no longer ignore the fact that these creatures are prowling around our streets, lurking in the darkness, and wreaking havoc on our dear nation. We will not let this continue! We will stand up to these menaces and we will succeed! We now know that some of these transgenetics wear our faces, they look like you and me. But that only increases the threat. We will catch them, I assure you, and we will keep our children safe," the man on the TV screen declared passionately. Reporters started shouting to get the man's attention for questioning and Kris turned away. 

_Damn Senator McKinley,_ she thought angrily. 

"Brave man..." Normal trailed off admirably as he watched the television.

Kris frowned as she walked away.

"What's wrong with you, Kris?" he asked her, noticing her upset nature. 

She turned around and thought of a quick lie. "Nothing, Normal, sir, it's just that time of the month." 

Normal's eyes bulged slightly. "Right, of course, well, um, uh, do you need anything?" he asked uncomfortably.

Kris smirked. "No, sir, I'll be fine." 

She just had to be careful. Those few who spoke out publicly in support of the transgenetics were either in jail or never heard of again. Alec kept telling her to pretend to support the government for her own safety, but it was so hard. So far, Kris had withstood nonstop hatred towards the transgenetics ever since their story was exposed a month ago. Every time someone had made a bigoted comment, she wanted to scream, _"You don't know them! I love one!" _but that would never happen.

Max and Alec had been going to Terminal City to help constantly. Alec had told Kris they were really disorganized over there, so Max had pretty much taken charge of the activities with Alec as the right-hand-man. He was perfectly happy in that position, having no desire to lead. 

Kris would worry endlessly when Alec wouldn't come home until early morning because he was out helping T.C. steal supplies or rescuing transgenetics who were being chased by the government. Either way, he would come home cut and sore and she could only be thankful that he returned. She never knew when the day would come when he wouldn't come back and felt so inadequate because all she could do was wait around and hope he was alright. She had said she wanted to help him, but he downright refused to put her in harm's way. How nineteenth century it felt, to wait around at home for the man to come back. 

She was exhausted. Kris did Alec's runs along with her own so that he could go off and help Max during the daylight hours. O.C. covered for Max. He would pop in occasionally to Jam Pony where Kris would give him the receipts to give to Normal as his own and then he was off again. She rarely even got to see him for more than twenty minutes at a time during the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, Alec was just about ready to lie down on the floor and go to sleep; he was so tired. Thank goodness for a nice, long break. Who knew T.C. would be so disorganized? Things like food, water, and gas weren't plentiful there, though he had to admit they had a nice amount of artillery. 

He sat down by the lockers waiting for Kris to come back. She had given him some receipts and then ran off again to do her runs about three hours ago. Luckily Normal didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on. But Alec wasn't sure how much longer Kris could do the double shifts without killing herself over it. She would never admit to him that she was tired, but he could see that she was. He hated doing this to her. 

He reminded himself once again that after this whole thing was resolved, he and Kris would lock themselves in her apartment for a week and ignore the world. It would just be them, carefree, like it had been, fleetingly, those first few days they were together.

Just then Max came into Jam Pony, flanked by two other people. She introduced them to Normal and then left them to speak to her boss as she came over to Alec.

"Two more just came out of hiding. Figured they should work here and get the Sector Passes," Max said to Alec.

"It's so ironic how Normal is all into killing us and we're working right under his nose," Alec commented. 

Max smirked.

Alec looked at her and then to the two people with Normal. "I don't believe it..." he trailed off, walking over to the two. 

"Alec! I want you to meet Biggs and Cece," Normal said as he approached them. 

"Alec, it's good to see you, man," the guy, Biggs, said, without missing a beat. He was an attractive black-haired guy about Alec's height and age.

"Yeah, it is, Biggs," Alec said, surprised but pleased. His name hadn't been Biggs when Alec had known him. "Cece," he addressed the girl politely. She was a tall, lean blond with crystal blue eyes. Her name hadn't been Cece back then either. 

She smiled smugly. "Alec," she greeted in return.

"You guys know each other?" Normal asked.

"Yeah, we go way back," Alec replied. "You gotta hire them, boss, they're very hard workers. Might just rival Kris."

"Well, I already did," Normal replied. "Here are your Sector Passes and you're good to go. Alec, I'm sure, will show you the ropes."

"I'm sure that's not all he'll show," Cece replied rather suggestively as she walked over to Max to talk with her. 

Alec smirked. Some things never changed. 

"Huh, you two had something going on?" Biggs asked Alec curiously.

He shook his head. "It was nothing," he replied. "But anyway, what have you been doing this past year, man?" 

"This and that," Biggs replied. "Had to keep it on the D.L."

Alec nodded in understanding. It was weird. With Biggs, even when he said just ten words, Alec knew exactly what he meant. 

They had been reminiscing about their past when Kris walked in. Alec was mid-sentence when she passed him, smiling, and he suddenly forgot what he was saying. How could she still have that affect on him after so much time?

Biggs's eyes followed Kris' figure to the other girls where it looked like she was being introduced to Cece

"Who's that?" he inquired casually. 

Alec smirked. Biggs always got that wild look in his eye when he was interested in a girl.

"Kris," Alec replied. He didn't bother to add the other stuff because he wanted to see Kris reject him.

"Oh, I thought Kris was a guy. But she's nice, very nice...be right back," Biggs said.

He strolled over to the girls and overheard Cece mention that it was nice she saw Alec again. He didn't notice Kris frown momentarily.

"Excuse me ladies, but I don't believe we've met. I'm Biggs," he said suavely, addressing Kris.

"Kris. Nice to meet you," Kris replied politely.

"Yes, it is nice, isn't it?" Biggs said, shaking her hand. 

Max and Cece chuckled and left the two of them alone. 

"You're an X5 as well, I hear," Kris commented.

Biggs was surprised. She wasn't screaming or making a scene like the other humans had been doing on TV when talking about transgenetics. He decided to use this to his advantage.

"Yeah, does that excite you?" he asked flirtingly.

"Excuse me?" Who the hell did this guy think he was? He reminded her of a worse version of Alec when she first met him. 

"Well, I was just wondering if you would be interested in having a drink with me later today. Maybe we could get to know each other," he suggested, hovering over her as she leaned on the wall of lockers. 

Kris looked curiously past him to where Alec was watching, an amused expression on his face. She understood.

"That's really nice of you, but I don't think so," she replied.

"Oh, how come?"

"Well, first, I don't drink. And second, My boyfriend is laughing his head off for playing this joke on you," she explained, looking at Alec as he chuckled.

Biggs followed her eyes to see Alec trying, but failing, to suppress his laughter. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry," Biggs said, embarrassed. 

She shook her head. "Don't be," Kris insisted, walking over to Alec with Biggs.

"Hey sweety," Alec said, leaning in to kiss Kris. 

She pulled away. "Nuh uh. Not until you apologize. That was a stupid prank."

Alec sighed. "Sorry man," he said to Biggs. 

"You asshole, you're just lucky that Lola picked me," Biggs said lightheartedly.

"Who?" Kris asked, intrigued. She slipped an arm around Alec and rested her head on his shoulder. Cece and now Lola? She couldn't help but feel a little threatened. 

"We were in, like, Kezmekistan on a mission and there was this girl, Lola. Gorgeous babe, no English though, which was fine. Alec did some crazy things to get her but in the end, she picked me, the obviously better choice," Biggs explained with a smile.

"She had a fetish for shorter guys, what can I say?" Alec teased. 

Both guys laughed. She smiled. Kris had to admit that she never saw Alec interact with a guy like this before. There was a brotherly competition between them. 

"Alec really did try to seduce her," Biggs said.

"It was nothing," Alec insisted.

Kris shrugged. "I didn't know you back then. But if you ever try to do that to someone else now," she started playfully, a finger on his chest, "you will not be happy," she finished, adding a bit of pressure behind her finger. She wasn't going to say anything about Cece until it really, really bothered her, but she was definitely going to allude to it. 

Alec smiled and nodded his head in agreement. 

"Gotta go do your work," Kris teased as she reached up and kissed Alec gently. "I'll see you later," he said, hugging and kissing her back. 

"It was nice meeting you, Biggs," Kris said.

Biggs nodded his head respectfully and she was off.

"Lucky bastard," Biggs said enviously.

Alec smiled. "Yeah..."

"So, how long are you gonna be with her?" Biggs asked.

"What?" Alec was confused.

"Well, is she gonna be for like two weeks or maybe a month? She might get clingy, so maybe three weeks before you can her," Biggs analyzed.

"It's not like that, Biggs," Alec said.

"What do you mean?"

"She's the one," Alec explained. Besides, they had already been together for six weeks. 

"Oh, please..." Biggs said incredulously. Alec had changed into a complete loser because of this girl?

"I'm serious. I'm steady now."

"Man, it's not in your blood to be steady. Remember what our solo training said about women? _Use 'em, Abuse 'em, then Lose 'em_."

Alec cringed at Biggs' harsh tone. Had he been like that before? Yes. For years he held that same mentality. He couldn't blame Biggs, it was all he knew, but Alec was well aware that there was something better for him.

"No, that's not how it has to be and that's not how it is," Alec insisted. 

"Whatever, man, but you know you're kidding yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"How long do you think she'll be willing to put up with this transgenetic shit? You're different from her and no matter what, it'll stay that way. After that fluffy feeling is gone, all you'll have left will be a boring relationship with a woman who will probably want a normal guy afterward. The excitement of you being a transgenetic will wear off, you'll get tired of each other and then break up and what will you have then? Bittersweet memories," Biggs warned.

Alec thought about it. Though his gut reaction was that it wouldn't be like that with Kris, he could never be certain. He had never been in a relationship before after all.

"Did that happen to you?" Alec asked.

"Are you kidding me? Hell no. I wouldn't wanna go through that emotional crap," Biggs exclaimed, looking at Alec as though he were insane. 

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Author's Note: What'd ya think? Anyway, I'll be using some of the plotlines from the actual show, but of course changing them since Kris wasn't in the original show. Anyhow, the next chapter is not written yet, so expect a wait. I'm terribly sorry!! But I hope you guys liked this chapter, it was harder to write than I expected. Alright, thank you all for reading! Please review!


	20. The Challenger Stirs Things Up

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Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, they mean so much to me! Also thank you for our patience with the updating, I'm just thankful Fanfiction.net is letting me upload stuff again. I'm so glad that you guys saw the contrast between the viewpoints of Alec and Biggs in the last chapter, it was EXACTLY what I was striving to show. I hope you enjoy the chapter, it's setting up future conflicts between Kris, Cece, and Alec. Please read/review and I hope you like it!

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"You okay?" Kris asked as she laid beside Alec that night. She wondered why he had been uncharacteristically quiet since they had gone to her place.

"Yeah, just tired," he replied, gently stroking the exposed skin between her pajama shirt and pants. In all honesty, he was thinking about what Biggs had told him. Could his relationship with Kris get stale, boring, or even downright pointless? Yes. 

"Is that it?" she asked his, running her hand through his hair. 

No. That wasn't it, but was it appropriate for Alec to ask her what he wanted to ask her? He wasn't sure. But then again, she was usually cool with his stupid questions. 

He kissed her naval area gently before asking, "Kris, do you think you'll get bored of me?" 

"Mm, not if you keep that up," she jested, alluding to his kisses. 

"I'm serious."

She frowned and sat upright. "I'm sorry. No, of course I won't get bored of you," she stated seriously. 

"But how can you be sure?" he asked, sitting upright as well. 

She blinked several times, trying to find a good response, but nothing came.

"You see? You don't know," he said.

"Where did this question come from?" she asked.

"Biggs. I said that you were the one and he basically told me that I was being stupid because love doesn't last, especially between people who are different."

"And he knows this from personal experience?" 

"No."

"Alright...well, I mean, what can I say? I disagree with Biggs," Kris said. 

"Did being a transgenetic affect your decision to be with me?" he asked her.

"What?" She was completely confused now. Alec was asking such weird questions.

"Did it?"

"Yes, of course it did," she replied. 

Alec sighed. Biggs was right. Being a transgenetic was some sort of excitingly sexy thing that would eventually grow tiresome.

"Aren't you gonna ask me _how_ it affected my decision?" Kris asked. 

"How?" 

"Remember when we had our first fight? And you told me all those things you did when you were at Manticore?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that got me thinking. Would he do that to me? Would he hurt me like he hurt those other people? You know, that kinda stuff. But I knew the answer was _no_, which made me think more. It made me think about how far you must have come, as a human being, since you first left Manticore. You were trained to be ruthless, yet you were always so caring towards me, you always had my back. And, I respect you so much for changing like you have because it showed what kind of a man you are, and I knew that you are the one for me." 

A smile slowly spread across Alec's lips. Biggs was wrong. 

"What did Biggs say about being a transgenetic?" she asked curiously.

"He said that girls found it exciting, but that would die and you'd want a normal guy," Alec replied, playing with the short, fine hairs on her arm.

"Exciting? He has no idea what he's talking about," Kris said dismissively. It was more like nerve-wracking because she didn't want some damned government official coming and taking him away from her. "And I don't want anyone else."

"You better not..." he teased, moving closer to kiss her. Afterwards, he asked, "So, it wasn't a sexy thing then?"

"What?"

"Me being a transgenetic. It didn't make me sexier?" he asked mischievously.

Kris chuckled. "You are impossible..." she said, sliding back down into the bed.

"And you didn't answer the question," Alec retorted, sliding down as well and leaning over her.

"Being a transgenetic didn't make you sexier," she asserted, looking up at him. 

"Oh yeah?" he asked kissing her neck lightly.

"Uh huh," she replied absently. Her attention was diverted to the wonderful kisses.

"I didn't need to be sexier, huh?" he joked between kisses.

She laughed. "I'm not going to answer that," she replied. 

"Why?" he asked, staring at her.

"An ego can be inflated only to a certain extent or else it pops," she answered before pulling him down to her lips for more kisses. 

He couldn't argue with that.

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"Man, it's cool working here," Biggs said eagerly after coming back from one of his runs a week later.

"I think you are the first person to say that," Sketchy replied, bored. 

Alec laughed. T.C. was up and running to its full capacity and Alec was back making his own deliveries. Max, however, still ran around doing work for T.C. with Logan while Alec, O.C. and Kris covered for her. 

"Seriously, this old lady gave me a cup of coffee and a cookie for delivering a package," Biggs said happily. 

"How is it that you get food and I get pinched in the ass?" Cece asked, annoyed, overhearing their conversation. 

Biggs looked at her rear end. "I'll admit that it's nice but..." he said cockily.

"Sugah, you betta watch it or else she's gonna kick yo ass," O.C. warned Biggs. 

Alec and Sketchy laughed as Cece gave Biggs the death glare. 

"So, you going to The Crash tonight?" Sketchy asked Alec.

He shrugged. "Not sure, I'll hafta run that by Kris." Sketchy and O.C. nodded in understanding while Cece scoffed. 

"What, is she your mommy?" she teased.

Alec looked at her strangely. "No..."

"Then why would you hafta ask her what you can do?" Cece asked him. 

"It's called courtesy," Alec replied. 

Cece laughed. 

"I never thought I would see the day when you would become just another love-sick fool," Cece said disappointedly, moving closer to Alec, placing her hands on his shoulders and trailing them down his well-defined arms...she could feel his muscles tense through his denim jacket. "What a waste," she sighed before walking towards the exit.

Alec turned around to see Kris looking at him and Cece. As Cece walked by Kris, she gave her a little smirk as Kris gave her a cold glance. Well, this was an awkward position for Alec to be in.

"Um, I'm going to deliver more packages, see if I can get more free stuff," Biggs said uncomfortably, once Kris had approached them.

"Yeah, yeah, me too," Sketchy rambled on, walking away from the somewhat tense situation.

"Boo Numba Two, I saw the whole thing, _she_ totally came onto _him_," O.C. said sternly to Kris. Kris nodded and O.C. left Kris and Alec alone.

Kris looked at Alec, waiting for him to say something. A girl just made a move on him and he just stood there, accepting it. 

"There's nothing going on," Alec said, reading her look perfectly.

"Does she know that?" Kris asked, slightly impatient.

"Yeah, but Cece was always the aggressive type. She might not want to admit that I'm not interested in her," Alec answered.

"What gave her the impression that you were interested in her in the first place?" Kris asked. 

Alec shifted uncomfortably. He looked around to make sure they were alone. "She was my first, I was her first," he explained.

Kris stared at him strangely until she finally understood what he was talking about. "Oh..."

"But that was like five years ago, and it meant nothing. It was awkward and stupid and meaningless."

"Perhaps for you, but maybe not for her," Kris replied uneasily.

"It was part of our training for solo operations, that's all," Alec insisted.

Kris grimaced. The way Alec talked about sex made it sounded so...sterile. "I believe you, really I do, but I just worry about her," Kris reassured him, putting her hands in the pockets of his denim jacket and reaching up to kiss him. Afterwards, she rested her head on his chest and he held her against him until Normal said they were slacking off. They grudgingly separated. 

He draped his arm around her shoulders and picked up a package as they walked out of Jam Pony. "Don't worry, she knows that I love you," he reassured her.

Kris smiled. She would never get too much of those three words from him. 

They rode to their delivery destination in comfortable silence until Kris finally said, "But I thought Rachel was your first time."

"No, first time it meant something, I consider it my first time," Alec replied.

"Oh, I see. You just never mentioned Cece or anything like that," she commented.

"Yeah, cuz it didn't mean anything," Alec replied. 

Kris thought about it and nodded her head. "Right." 

Alec smiled. Kris was so cute when she was figuring something out.

"So, tonight, do you wanna go to The Crash?" Alec asked. 

"Sure, I'm cool with that." 

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That night at The Crash, Max, Logan, O.C., Sketchy, Biggs, Cece, Alec and Kris shared two tables. Sketchy was busy flirting with Cece, Biggs was checking out some girls at another table, and Kris and Alec were playing pool.

"I missed this," Alec said as they played.

"What? Me beating you?" Kris teased.

"Well, that too. But just hanging out, not worrying about the shit that's out there. You know, just having some fun," Alec said with a smile.

"Yup, I couldn't agree more," Kris replied. 

Alec leaned over the pool table to take his shot, but missed.

"Aw, tough luck, Golden Boy," Kris teased. "Eight ball, side pocket." It sank. She smiled gleefully. "Now, about my reward..."

"Yes, Goddess." Alec bowed playfully down to her in mock worship. He rose to look at her, smiled mischievously and lifted her up onto the pool table. His weight on her caused her to fall back onto the table. 

She laughed happily between Alec's passionate kisses, and a red tint flushed her face. She hadn't meant for him to do that there, in public, but she couldn't complain. 

"So, can I get next game?" a female voice asked, breaking their kissing session.

Kris looked over to see Cece smiling courteously at them. 

Kris swallowed hard. "Yeah," she said feigning casualness, getting off of the pool table and walking away. She refused to play the overprotective girlfriend and allow Cece to look like the innocent victim.

"I meant with you," Cece called after her.

Kris turned around, frowning. "Why?"

"Well, you beat Alec, didn't you? Why would I want to play the loser, unless, of course, he lost purposely," Cece said, taking a jab at Kris' ego.

Alec looked at Kris, shaking his head. She didn't need to prove anything, she didn't need to put Cece in her place. 

However, Kris didn't see it that way. She stared intently at Cece, took the pool stick from Alec, who kissed her gently on the forehead, and played against her. Alec sat on a stool and watched. 

It didn't take long for Alec to realize what Cece was doing. Whenever it was her turn, she would lean over the pool table to tease Alec with either peaks at her cleavage or rear end. And as she waited for her turn, she would jut her hip out to one side, accenting her long, lean figure. She would catch him looking at her, which would only encourage her more. What she didn't know was that Kris was well aware of what she was doing. 

Cece was a good player, but Kris was better. 

"Good game," Kris said in a neutral tone after she had won. Alec came over and hugged his arms around her neck from behind. 

Cece smirked. "You too. Guess he wasn't playing easy," she replied, glancing at Alec.

As she walked away, Alec kissed Kris' neck from behind. "What do you say we get out of here?" he suggested.

Kris sighed. "Haven't you seen enough tits and ass for one night?" she asked, annoyed, as she pulled away from him.

Alec was in such shock that he couldn't respond. It felt as though he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"She does have a nice body, doesn't she?" Kris commented sarcastically.

Alec turned red. "Uh, yeah, yeah she does...but not as nice as yours or um...shit, I'm sorry," he rambled.

"Sorry for what?" Kris asked, walking towards the tables of his friends.

"Sorry for looking at her," Alec replied, following her.

"Well, it was sorta unavoidable, wasn't it? I mean some part of her was always in your face, taunting you," Kris replied dryly.

"True, but..." Alec didn't know what to say. 

She shrugged. "I don't see you running after her for something more, so I guess there should be nothing to worry about," Kris replied grudgingly.

Alec smiled. "It's good that you don't feel threatened."

"No, I do feel threatened," Kris stated honestly. "Look, can we not talk about this here?" she pled.

Alec frowned, "Yeah, let's go home."

"What's up you two?" Logan asked as he watched Kris walk purposefully over to the table and grab her jacket. 

Kris looked around quickly, thankful that Cece wasn't there to see her so upset. "Going home, been a long day," Kris replied, unable to hide her irritability.

"Everything alright?" Max asked, concerned. Kris looked rather flustered and Alec looked distraught. 

"Peachy," Alec replied wryly as he followed Kris out of The Crash.

Max looked at Logan, confused, but all Logan could do was squeeze her hand and hope everything would work out for the other couple. 

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The walk back to Alec's apartment was silent. Kris was trying to convince herself that everything would be alright while Alec was wondering why Kris was acting so strangely. She was always the secure one, convincing him that everything would work out well. But tonight, she was the one with the mood swings and caustic remarks. 

When they entered his apartment, Alec immediately said, "There's nothing for you to feel threatened about."

Kris studied him for a bit then replied unemotionally, "I know."

"Then why are you acting like this?" Alec asked, confused. 

"I can't help it, I'm sorry. Look, I'm just exhausted and so maybe that's why I'm moody. Don't worry about it," she said.

"I do worry though," Alec said.

"Well don't."

"Kris, just tell me what the hell is wrong. Let's fix it," Alec said.

"You can't fix it, Alec, that's the whole point. We're different, Biggs was right about that. And tonight, it just got me thinking, maybe like attracts like," Kris tried explaining.

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Alec asked, still confused. Was this how it felt to be Kris when he was going through a rough spot in his life?

"Cece, Alec, I'm talking about Cece," Kris said. Alec was about to protest when Kris cut him off, "I know she doesn't mean anything to you now, Alec, but it's just that she has a hell of a lot in common with you. And you know how Biggs was saying how I might get bored with you? Well, let's reverse that and think about you getting bored with me. I mean, we're different in so many respects and I couldn't blame you if you'd want to be with someone who could understand you on that level that I could never relate to. So, I mean, I just started thinking about that tonight, and you can't do anything for me or whatever, they're just my insecurities. I gotta just deal with them." 

Alec furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think of something meaningful to say to her, to alleviate her worries. "How could you think that I would get bored with you?" was all that came to mind.

"Well, I couldn't ask you the same question," Kris retorted, smiling slightly.

Alec chuckled lightly. "But seriously, Kris, you're...you're mine. I'm not sure how to explain it any other way. I only want you. I don't want Cece, I never did. Yeah, she's a transgenetic, and yeah, we can connect about that, but, she doesn't understand me. You get me. And like I told Biggs, I'm steady," Alec said.

She nodded her head. "I know that, Alec. Really, I do, and I trust you. But, I sure as hell don't trust her, but it's just that girly jealousy thing. Cece is trying to get you and though I know she won't succeed, it still bothers me. And she won't be the last girl to try this. It's just something I have to deal with. I'm not pissed that you checked her out or whatever, but I just don't understand why certain people have to go after people who are taken," Kris said.

Alec smiled. "They like the challenge," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

She hugged him tight. "They're so mean," she mumbled into his chest.

"Well, their logic is if the guy cares enough about the girl he's with, he won't stray and the challenger will fail. If he doesn't care enough, he shouldn't have been with his girlfriend to begin with," he explained. 

This was all explained to him at Manticore in his solo training as a method he could implement if necessary. He wasn't proud of the fact that he had done exactly what Cece was doing during some missions.

Kris sighed. "It's annoying," she said.

"I think it's rather flattering," Alec jested.

Kris looked at him with exasperation. "You are impossible," she said, trying to get out of his arms.

He wouldn't let her. "What? If you were in my position wouldn't you think it was flattering that someone would try so hard and fail so badly to win you away from me?" he teased as she squirmed in his arms.

"No, I'd be like, _Who the hell do you think you are? Are you blind? I have a boyfriend, _but then again, I'm not the one with the ego blimp," she teased back.

"Oh that's it," he said, tickling her. 

She laughed and screamed happily as she ran around the apartment and Alec chased her, much like they had done one of the first days of their relationship - before transgenetics were dying on television, before White reappeared on the Evil Radar, before jaded people were saying they wouldn't last, and before others were trying to break them apart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Author's Note: I'm still writing the next chapter, but I know where the story is going. Thank you all for your support and to the M/L shippers, have no fear, something's gonna happen soon, but I don't know exactly when since I haven't written it yet! Anyway, thank you again and please tell me what you think!


	21. Exposure to Grief

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Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been out of town for a few days. This chapter was really hard to write and well, you'll see why. But there's a warning: **I used the F word in this chapter a few times. **Please don't be offended, you know I do this stuff sparingly. But I hope you enjoy. There are so many things I want to address in my story and I'm determined to do so, so I wonder to myself it this story will be epic, you know, like 40 chapters or something. Haha, I never intended it to be that long, but if it is, all the better. Okay, please review and as always, I hope you enjoy!

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"Man, I need to get laid," Biggs said restlessly as he watched a group of giggling girls on the sidewalk. They eyed Biggs and Alec flirtingly before passing by. 

Alec laughed. "I didn't think you would have problems with that," he replied. They were riding their bikes back from their delivery, while Kris was doing her runs with O.C. that morning.

"I don't, but it's just getting old. I sleep with a chic, I don't call back, she calls me four days later to find out if I was ever going to call her back, I give her some bullshit response about not wanting to get tied down, and I move on to the next one, only to repeat the entire process over again. Maybe _laid_ isn't the right term, I dunno what it's called, but I just, I'm getting tired of doing the same shit," Biggs explained, troubled.

"Stop viewing girls as potential fuck buddies," Alec said straightforwardly. 

"Language, Alec, language," Biggs said, shocked that Alec would say something like that to him. 

"Seriously, Biggs, just stop. When you do that, you'll see other aspects of girls besides their rack and ass. Something inside them. And maybe that would excite you," Alec explained, slightly annoyed.

"That takes a lot of time," Biggs complained.

"It's worth it," Alec assured him. 

"How long did it take you and Kris to get together?"

"Ten months, seventeen days," Alec replied nostalgically.

"Shit...I've never even known a girl that long. I hafta admit though that Kris is one cool chic," Biggs said to Alec admirably. Biggs had gotten to know Kris for the past month, and though it was weird seeing Alec so devoted to someone, he could see why.

"We started as friends. She was the only person to ever call me on the games I played and still accept me as who I was. She went through a lot of crap and I looked out for her. She looked out for me in return, though I was too stupid to realize it back then. Taught me a lot about sacrifices and trust and love," Alec said.

"So, you don't ever think about going back to the way you were before?" Biggs asked him.

"I'll admit, I liked the freedom. I didn't give a shit about anything but myself, and then she came along and totally changed all that. I was reckless and I liked it that way. I saw those girls who walked by us just like you did, and yeah, I wanted them for a second, but I got over it cuz I know I have the best there is. Being in a relationship is about knowing what else is out there and choosing what you have above the rest because that is what makes you happy, truly happy." 

"You should be a motivational speaker," Biggs teased.

"Man, shut up," Alec said dismissively.

The two friends laughed all the way back to Jam Pony. When they arrived, they saw Kris talking with an unfamiliar girl. 

"Hey," Alec greeted, kissing Kris on the cheek.

"Hi," she replied happily. "Guys, this is Niki, she's from Florida and just started working here today. Niki, this is my boyfriend Alec, and our friend Biggs," Kris said, introducing everyone. 

"It's really nice to meet you all," Niki said politely. She looked about eighteen years old with long brown hair and brown eyes. Biggs caught himself staring at her chest area, but immediately stopped, trying to practice what Alec had been talking about earlier. She must have been Mexican, no, make that Cuban, well, Biggs wasn't quite sure. Her ethnicity would be a good conversation point though. He peaked at her neck, no barcode, thank goodness. 

"I was going to show her how it works around here," Kris said. 

"I can do it," Biggs said, a little too eagerly. Alec looked at him curiously then smiled. Niki looked at Biggs strangely as well. "I mean, if that's cool with you," Biggs added, talking to Niki.

She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that," she replied.

Alec and Kris watched Biggs escort Niki out of Jam Pony before turning to each other.

"What's gotten into him?" Kris asked.

"He's trying to get to know girls," Alec answered.

"As in having an intelligent conversation with one?" Kris asked, surprised. Biggs just wasn't the type, she thought.

"Yeah, pretty impressive, huh?" Alec said.

"You're rubbing off on him," Kris commented, impressed. 

"Well, I mean, do you blame him? I'm a very positive role model," Alec replied cockily. Kris laughed heartily causing Alec to feign hurt. "What? I'm not?" 

"No, no, honey, of course you are..." Kris replied, appeasing him, though still laughing.

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"So she just graduated from high school a few months ago and moved out here because she got sick of Florida. She came from Miami and she's half Cuban, half White. She really likes playing basketball and she reads a lot. She's even read _The Art of War_, and you know how we had to read that back at Manticore, well, I remembered that book and so we talked about that like crazy. It was wild, Alec, her eyes lit up when she was talking about it and I could only stare at her face at times cuz she was so into it, and I was totally transfixed by what she was saying. It was such a weird feeling," Biggs said, amazed, that night at The Crash while he and Alec were having a drink. 

Alec couldn't help but smile for his friend. "That's great, man, I'm really happy for you," he replied. "Are you going to hang out with her again?"

"Yeah, totally, we're going to do our runs together tomorrow and the next day and..."

"Biggs, in two days it's Saturday," Alec pointed out. 

"Right, well, just, for a long time," Biggs replied.

"You boys gonna join us at the table or what?" Cece asked, coming over to the bar stools Alec and Biggs were sitting on. She ordered a pitcher of beer and refocused her attention on Biggs and Alec, more so on Alec.

"We'll be right there," Alec answered. He really had to be careful around Cece, she was a loose canon in the respect that he wasn't sure how she would act in his presence. 

Cece nodded and walked towards the table where Logan, Max, Sketchy, Kris and Niki were. 

Alec smirked, "Looks like you'll be seeing her sooner than you thought," he commented.

"What?" Biggs turned around to see Niki there, his eyes immediately lighting up. "This is Fate, baby, I'm telling you..." he trailed off to himself mostly.

"Use the line on her not me," Alec teased. "No, take that back, screw the line, it's totally lame."

Biggs laughed and nodded as the two friends walked over to the group. 

"Hey everyone. Niki, very glad you could join us," Alec said charmingly as he sat next to Kris. She leaned against him and he kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks for having me," Niki replied. "Hi, Biggs," she added rather coyly.

"Hey," Biggs said, smiling. "So, uh, do you wanna dance?"

Niki blushed slightly before replying, "Sure." She got up and Biggs held her hand as they made their way to the dance floor.

"Huh, looks like Biggs is after his latest conquest," Max commented disapprovingly.

"Nope, he's actually trying to be friends with her," Alec corrected.

"Well, who would have thought?" Logan said, smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was particularly bright that next Tuesday, but Kris didn't mind at all; it reminded her of Los Angeles. As she rode down a street on her way back from a delivery, she saw merchandise being sold with Joshua's picture on them, an unfriendly reminder of the threats they all still faced. 

Hysteria, protests, and the like occurred daily, but now it had become the norm. That Senator McKinley gave weekly press conferences, but only added to the xenophobia rather than alleviated it. Kris was actually wondering if that was his intention. The transgenetics that Max, Alec, Biggs, and Cece didn't know about in time to rescue were taken away to some containment facility, never heard of again. The government still didn't have a way of tracking down the people of the X-series, and Kris was eternally grateful for that. 

Just then a familiar face caught her attention peripherally. She braked and turned to it. Biggs' face was on a television screen in an open-air market, the words "Dangerous Transgenetic Fugitive" labeling him. Kris froze for a second, a million things racing through her mind, completely overwhelming her. With her heart pounding hard against her ribcage, she biked as fast as she could to the nearest phone booth to call Biggs' cell and warn him before something happened. 

So much for not having a way to track the X5's...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What the hell..." was all Alec could get out before Max joined him in front of the television in Terminal City. They were just dropping off some food and water in between deliveries when Alec started watching the news. 

"Shit," Max cursed. The anchorwoman was saying how the man pictured, who just so happened to be Biggs, was considered an armed and dangerous transgenetic fugitive. "How could they know?" she asked desperately.

Alec dialed Biggs' number.

"What?" Biggs asked impatiently. It sounded like he was out of breath. 

"Biggs! Where are you, man? You need to get back to T.C. a.s.a.p., you're in trouble," Alec said, relieved to hear his friend's voice.

"No shit, Alec! I've been running from these police guys for the past couple of minutes. I'm near your place. Niki is with me and she's freaked, I hafta get her somewhere safe. We were doing our runs when we got cornered. She knows though Alec, she knows I'm a transgenetic and she doesn't care!" 

In any other situation Alec would have been happy to hear the news, but Biggs' life was at stake. "Look man, that's great, both of you get your asses to T.C. right now!"

"Alright, man, I hear..." 

Just then there was a sickening _THUG_ sound, a female's scream, and the phone went dead. 

"Shit! He's in trouble, Niki's with him," Alec said worriedly. 

"Let's get them back here," Max replied assertively, walking with Alec to their motorcycles. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No answer, no answer, why isn't he picking up?? Damn it! Kris thought frantically. She slammed the phone down hard and grabbed more change out of her pocket. She dialed his number.

"Hello?

"Alec! Biggs! He's on the TV, it's crazy, something about him being wanted. I called him, but he's not picking up," Kris said anxiously.

"Yeah, we know, Max and I are getting to him right now," Alec yelled over the engine of his motorcycle. 

"What can I do?" 

"Go to Jam Pony, pull out our files. All the employee files are in Normal's office and I need you to get all the X5s' files out and destroy them; police are gonna start investigating and I don't want any traces of us there," Alec said.

"Alright, it's done," Kris said.

"Thanks."

"Look, just be careful, alright? We have no clue how they found out about Biggs," Kris said, her tone of voice softening.

Alec hesitated. She was worried, though she tried to hide it in her voice. "Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry. See you in a bit. Your place....I love you."

"I love you, too," Kris replied. She hung up the phone and exhaled heavily. The thought that that would be the last time she would ever hear Alec's voice passed through her mind, but she quickly ignored that ominous feeling. They would all be alright, they had to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight began to set in over Seattle as Alec and Max rode to where they hoped Biggs would be, safe. In any other situation, Alec might have taken the time to think about the beauty of the blends of pinks, purples and oranges in the sky. He might have even wondered about God and all those celestial thoughts people come up with as they stare at a sky and realize how small they are in relation to the universe. 

But not now. Reality controlled his every action, every thought, every prayer. 

They pulled up to the front of Alec's place, deciding to do a sweep of the area around it to look for Biggs and Niki. They had walked around half an hour, going further and further from Alec's apartment. It had been an hour since Alec had talked to Biggs, an hour too long. Max heard some commotion coming from a few blocks away and they followed the noise. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Max asked a man who was staring at something. The balding, obese man was dressed in a tattered plaid flannel shirt and stained jeans. 

"A bunch of neighborhood guys got a hold of one of them mutant freaks that was on the news," the guy explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Alec asked, worried now.

"What do _you_ think?" the man retorted, pointing proudly to what he had been staring at earlier. 

Down the street there was a man who had been hanged upside-down from a streetlight, blood occasionally dripping from his body and collecting in a pool on the street. 

It was Biggs. 

Both Max and Alec were in too much shock to speak.

"This should send the message to those fuckin' bastards to stay the hell away from our town," the man added, smiling.

"You fucking bastard. I'm gonna..." Alec said, a deathly gleam in his eyes. He lunged forward at the man, but Max stepped in front of him.

"...gonna see if I can find me some more of them," she completed his sentence, pulling him away from the scene.

"Get the hell off me, Max!" Alec yelled, breaking her grip on him violently and walking determinedly towards the man again.

"Damn it, Alec, think! I know you're pissed, I'm pissed to, but we don't know how they got Biggs, we don't know what happened to Niki, and we don't want to end up like him!" she said, trying to reason with him.

"You think I'm scared of some shitty cowards who caught Biggs with a cheap shot and strung him up there like that? Like some dead duck? Damn it, Max! I'm gonna fucking kill the shitheads who did this!" Alec roared, advancing onto the man for a third time. It was beyond reasoning time, it was time for revenge. 

"Alec!" she called to him. He ignored her. She raced up to him, pulled him around to face her, and punched him squarely in the face. 

"What the fuck?"

"Listen to me! You can't get Biggs back. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but killing those guys who did it is only gonna cause more problems. We're better than that," Max said passionately.

Alec shook his head adamantly. "Maybe you wanna take the moral high ground, but I don't. I'm not gonna let them get away with this! How can you stand there and let them get away with this? He was...he was...he was a person, damn it! And they treat him like a monster, they think he's a..." 

Alec's throat was acting all funny. It constricted until he couldn't get any words out; his thoughts were there, but his voice wouldn't cooperate. This stinging sensation started to build up in the back of his throat and traveled up to his nose and even his eyes. His vision became blurry and his face became wet. This had only happened a few times before in his life, and each time he was punished by Manitcore for his weakness. His nose was runny and he snorted to clear his air passage as he blinked away the salty water in his eyes. 

Max looked at her friend who was a complete mess. What could she say to comfort him? She was devastated herself, but she couldn't even imagine what Alec was feeling. She had known Biggs for only a month instead of the years upon years of history Alec had with him. And to see him like that...hanging...a victim of ignorance, brutality, and malice...it was excruciating. 

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder and drawing him near for a warm hug. Alec held her tight and began trembling uncontrollably with anger and sadness against her. 

"Can we cut him down at least? Please Max, let's cut him down," Alec whispered desperately to his friend. 

She shook her head. "We'll get exposed," she said. 

"I don't care," he stated recklessly. 

"What about Kris?" Max countered. "Won't she care if she sees your body hanging like that on TV?"

The thought of Kris momentarily soothed Alec, though the pain and grief and anger at Biggs' murder was still raw in his heart. Images of Kris seeing his body like Biggs' on TV flashed through his mind, tearing at his insides even more. So this is what it really meant by _your actions affecting the ones you love_. He was pulled between revenge and responsibility, and he hated it. 

"I'll kill White," he promised himself and Max.

Max sighed, knowing that Alec wasn't going to do anything rash that night, but she knew that rage within him would only grow with time. It would have to eventually explode out of him or else eat him up inside.

"I look forward to that day," Max replied. She looked around, purposely avoiding the area where people clustered around Biggs' body. "We need to find Niki, I didn't see her anywhere."

"Right," Alec said distantly, not really wanting to do much else, ever.

"I'll go ask those assholes if they know anything," Max offered.

"Yeah, sure." Alec stayed right there, staring at the asphalt and swallowing hard occasionally. Max could only imagine what he was thinking.

Max looked at him hesitantly before approaching the grotesque man again. "Was anyone with that freak?" she asked through gritted teeth. She hated pretending like this.

"Yeah, some chic. Real hot," the guy replied absently.

"Where'd she go?" Max asked.

"I heard that she was screaming a lot cuz of all the blood. And then some of the other guys snatched her up, calling her names and whatever for being all hoochie coochie with this mutant. She's the only thing worse than the dangling freak," he replied disdainfully.

It took all of Max's self-control to not rip this guy's liver out. "So, where is she now?" she asked impatiently.

"Some guys took her to that back alley," he answered, pointing to the right. 

"And?" Max asked impatiently.

"What? Do I hafta spell it out for you?" the guy snapped back, annoyed that this girl was asking so many dumb questions. The only reason why he was even answering her was because she had a pretty face.

Max flashed a glance at the man angrily before running over to the alley he pointed at. Though it was already dark, Max used her cat-like night vision to make out a shuddering shape against the side of the alley. Her heart tightened with anguish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Author's Note: Just when I started to like Biggs, I kill him off. I hate White. Anyway, what did you think? I'm already writing the next chapter, which is going to be SO hard to write, but hopefully worth the effort. Please tell me what you thought. Thanks! 


	22. Breaking the Strings, Sorta

Vigilantes. Vigilantes killed Biggs. Vigilantes strung him up as a tenderized prize after breaking every bone in his body. Well, at least that was what the news reported, at least that was what that damned Senator McKinley said. The government had some new technology that could track human-looking transgenetics down and that's what they did. Vigilantes took justice into their own hands and killed the threat, killed the monster. It wasn't that they themselves were the monsters. No, of course not.

Kris turned off the television in disgust and tucked her knees under her chin as she sat on the couch and waited for Alec's return. There was no news of more transgenetics found, which led her to think hopeful thoughts regarding Alec and Max's safety, but nothing else was comforting. 

They murdered her friend. She couldn't even begin to describe the feeling she had inside. Maybe it was a lack of feeling, a black hole where all the feelings and emotions were vacuumed up, gone. Or maybe it was that she was feeling too much: shock, despair, disgust, anger, revenge, sadness, and every other terrible emotion people hope to never feel. She couldn't tell. Did it matter?

She waited.

It was about ten at night, two hours after she had heard on the news about Biggs' murder, when Alec came home. He entered the apartment in a semi-dazed state. She got off the couch to meet him, but he turned away from her, towards the kitchen sink to wash red splotches off his hands. 

Kris didn't know what to say. Was it Biggs' blood? Did Alec hurt the people who did that to Biggs? Was it their blood? After Alec was done washing and drying his hands, he looked at her briefly. 

"You know what happened, right? I saw the news vans, you must know," he said, devoid of emotion.

"Yes," she replied sadly.

"I think I'm gonna burn these clothes," he added spontaneously, motioning to the clothes he was currently wearing. He wanted no tangible memory of this night.

"Oh, um, okay," she said. What else could she say? 

There was silence. Kris was about to speak when Alec cut in.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said firmly.

"Alec..."

"Don't. I'm sorry, Kris, I know you hate it when I do this, but I can't talk about this. I just can't."

Kris inhaled deeply. "O.C. and I took the files out. A few minutes later, the Feds showed up, but they didn't find anything," she replied. 

Alec nodded, grateful that she didn't press the previous subject further. "Thanks."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was one o'clock by the time Alec and Kris got to bed that night. He hadn't held her nor kissed her at all since he got back. Some part of him foolishly thought he would break her. He laid there in bed beside Kris, thinking about the past few hours, how it changed everything. Biggs was gone. There was a way the X-series transgenetics could be distinguished. Niki was in shambles. Niki. Kris. What if Biggs had been Alec and Niki had been Kris? He would have been washing Kris' blood off his hands. Alec physically winched at the thought. 

But there he was, laying in bed, physically fine. Kris slept, her back to him, physically fine. Biggs was dead. Niki was in the hospital. They weren't fine. No, no one was really fine. 

He looked at Kris. Could he really just walk away from her like he planned on doing? He refused to let something happen to her, like what happened to Niki. He couldn't risk that. But he didn't want to leave. He wanted to be there with her, always, like he had said that rainy night when they were first together. Life was playing such cruel jokes on them.

He moved over to wrap his arm around her waist, kissing her shoulder blade through her pajama tank top in the process and savoring her clean smell. How could he walk away from all this? She shifted and leaned back against him before turning around to look at him. 

"I didn't mean to wake you up," he said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. Not like I could get much sleep anyways," she replied, placing her arm over his, which was still hugging her body closely against his. "You okay?" 

There was silence.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Kris asked gently. 

"I want to talk about it," Alec finally said. He would forget those thoughts of leaving her, he still had at least five hours until that happened.

"Okay," Kris said, stroking his arm affectionately. 

"I miss him," he stated simply. "Max wouldn't even let us take him down, saying that it would be too suspicious and we would get exposed. We just left him there, dangling, while people stared at him with disgust. I should have gotten there sooner."

"You know damn well that you got there as soon as you could," Kris said firmly. "There was just no warning."

"But I'm his friend. We had a deal," Alec replied adamantly.

"What deal?"

"We had each other's backs. At Manticore, after Max and the others escaped, they tried to destroy any type of personal bond the X-5's had with each other. But one time, during an exercise, Biggs and I were in the group that had to be the prey and another group of people had to hunt us through a forest. I tripped on a tree root and hurt my ankle, so I couldn't run as fast. The last person in the prey group would be punished, which was the incentive to not be last. Biggs came back for me and helped me up and we ran away, so I wouldn't be last. That was when we were eleven. We were sixteen, when we went to Kezmekistan, I took a bullet to the shoulder for him that would have killed him. It's just, we had this silent agreement to watch out for each other and I let him down," Alec said quietly, his eyes glazing over slightly as he remembered his past. 

Kris stroked his face gently and kissed his forehead. "You tried," she whispered in his ear.

"Not hard enough. After I got back from my mission which involved Rachel, Manticore was pissed at me cuz I didn't follow orders. As punishment, they locked me in this room with three transgenetics who were supposed to beat me. This was supposed to show that I was alone, but one of them was Biggs and he refused to beat me. He just held the wrench in his hand and stood there. They took him away and he never told me what they did to him for disobeying, but that was the type of guy he was, completely loyal. When Max shut down Manticore, I lost contact with him. I was so happy when I saw him at Jam Pony a month ago, so freaking happy."

"I'm sure he knew that," Kris replied.

"How?"

"Because you show people that you care about them more than you say it. And Biggs knew that you were his friend because you showed him. I saw it, so I know he did too," Kris replied.

"Thanks," Alec whispered, kissing her forehead. "I didn't to tell you this cuz I didn't want to put all my ugly past and shit on you, I'm sorry." 

"It's okay, I know you've had an extremely hard life. You have no idea how wonderful it is that you were able to beat it," Kris replied.

Alec snorted, unaware that he had been tearing in the first place. He wasn't beating it, it was controlling him. He would be going back to the way he was soon, survival mechanism, push everything he cared about away because he was poison to them, to her. 

Kris kissed his cheeks, tasting the salty water on her lips. She didn't know what else she could do.

This would be the last night he would spend with Kris. He stood resolute in his decision. He hated not telling her before-hand, but she would fight him on this and he wanted this to end in peace, not a fight. Yet he felt so guilty for keeping this from her. But when morning came, he would be gone. 

"Alec?" Kris asked, capturing his attention.

He looked at her, wanting to tell her but knowing that he couldn't. "I love you, you know that right? No matter what happens, no matter how this whole transgenetic thing is resolved, whatever, you know that, right?" he asked, desperation seeping into his voice.

"Yeah, Alec, I know," Kris replied, confused. "I love you too, no matter what."

He sighed. "Good."

"Alec, why are you asking me this?"

He shook his head. "You just need to know that, cuz who knows what's gonna happen when morning comes," he lied. He hated lying to her. He knew exactly what was going to happen when the sun came up. 

Kris knew something else prompted his weird questioning, but she didn't press it. He had had a terrible day. So instead, she kissed him, slowly at first, and then it grew more passionate.

Five hours, Alec had five hours left with Kris before he was gone, gone from her life. He planned on using every minute showing her how much he loved her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kris turned around in bed to snuggle against Alec but only met cold air. She woke up quickly. Where was he? There was a note on his pillow. Since when did he write letters to her? In his hasty scrawl it said:

_Kris,_

It's not safe for us to be together. The government knows how to find the X'5 and that puts you at risk too. If something were to ever happen to you...well, nothing will happen to you. I quit Jam Pony. I know you'll worry about me, just like I worry about you, but please try not to. Be careful. I love you. 

- Alec

She frowned, so that was it? She didn't even have a say in the matter? He broke up with her because it wasn't safe, but since when was their relationship safe? She called Jam Pony and told Normal that she was sick. He seemed devastated that Alec had left and questioned her about it, but she replied that she didn't know where he was. 

This was what Alec was talking about last night, about how no matter what he'd always love her. He had known he would have to leave her. She couldn't tell if she was more hurt or angry that he didn't tell her to her face. She dressed quickly, left her apartment, and headed towards Terminal City. She hoped he was there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you mean you don't love me anymore?" Logan asked fiercely.

"Logan, please don't be upset, it's just, this isn't going to work," Max replied. She was lying badly and was surprised Logan hadn't realized it.

"I don't believe you," he replied. Well, Logan did pick up on it then. Max had to remain firm.

"You should, cuz if you don't, you're only lying to yourself. Look, we're just not the same," Max said.

"It never mattered to me that you are a transgenetic, I'm sorry that it mattered to you that I'm a lowly regular human," Logan replied sarcastically. 

Max internally flinched at his tone. She didn't mean it! But this must be done. Alec and she had talked about it after they left Niki at the hospital, they both had to go through with the breakups. Alec had broken it off with Kris by writing some note, which Max thought was the most cowardly thing to do. She would at least give Logan the decency of a face-to-face breakup. 

"I didn't think it would matter, but it does, I'm sorry. This just won't work."

"Is this because of Biggs? Max, I know you're scared, and I know you worry that by associating with me you'll inadvertently hurt me or something, but don't. I'll be fine, and my safety is my decision," Logan replied.

"No, Logan, it's not just that," Max replied. She lied again, it was exactly that. She didn't want any other man, she never did. And now she had to break Logan's heart in order to protect him. It was better this way...right?

"I cannot believe that you don't love me! I won't! After all this shit, after you getting caught by Manticore, after me thinking you were dead, after a year with that virus keeping up apart, you say that you don't love me? You didn't find some other guy and I didn't find some other woman when it got tough. We stuck it out together cuz that is when we are the strongest. Max, don't do this," Logan said passionately.

She couldn't look at him. He was right, but she need to make him believe that he was wrong. "I'm sorry Logan," she said softly.

"Sorry for what?" Logan paused and thought about it, his eyes becoming wide with even more shock. "There was someone else?"

Max froze. She hadn't meant that. Logan thought she had been with someone else? Well, if that would make him hate her enough to walk away from her, so be it. 

"I'm so sorry," she replied, unable to look at him. How could she be this mean to him? Lie to him this much? 

"What? Who?" Logan thought quickly of who Max could have been cheating with. The only man he ever saw her with that might pose a threat was..."_Alec?" _

Max didn't actually know what guy Logan could have been thinking about, but Alec would have to do as her pretend lover. She let her silence answer Logan's question.

"But...but he has Kris. He's completely devoted to Kris, I mean..." Logan rambled on.

Max sighed, she hadn't thought about Kris. Kris would be devastated if she ever found out. But Alec broke it off with her, so this plan could theoretically work. It was confusing and complicated, but it would have to work. 

"I'm so sorry," Max repeated. She didn't know what else to say. She was sorry she ever loved him. It would have been a lot easier had they never met. She wouldn't have hurt him so much. They wouldn't have had each other, only to be torn apart by outside forces that threatened their lives. 

Logan sat down, his face pale, his expression unreadable. He inhaled deeply and looked at her, sparks of anger in his eyes. "Get out."

Max swallowed hard and looked at him. She was so sorry! She didn't want any of this to happen. She never meant to hurt him. She walked towards the door. 

Logan could hear the door open and quietly close after her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was harder to get to T.C. than she thought. The stench was totally grotesque at first, but then she got used to it. She knew where T.C. was, it was even in the news, but she couldn't actually find the entrance to the hub once she got there. It felt like she was walking in one dingy circle after another. 

"Freeze!" a male voice shouted behind her. Kris could hear the cocking of a gun.

She froze. She must have gotten closer in her wanderings.

"Hands in the air, now!" he shouted again.

She followed his orders, trembling inside.

"State your designation!" he ordered.

Kris panicked. What designation? 

"State it!"

"I don't have one," she replied.

"What do you mean you don't have one?" the man yelled furiously.

"I'm not a transgenetic," she answered. 

"What the hell are you doing here, regular?" the male said disdainfully, pressing the barrel of the gun sharply into her back.

She gulped hard. He really was going to kill her. "I'm a friend of Max, X5-452, and Alec, X5-494. I need to speak to Alec, please," she managed to say through her fears.

She could still feel the pressure of the gun in her back, and then it disappeared.

"Follow me," the man said.

She turned around and looked at him. He wasn't an X-series. He had scaly, brown skin and dressed in camouflage. He walked away and she followed him, memorizing exactly how she got into T.C. for future reference.

Once they entered the center, Kris took a look around. It was quite amazing how they were able to derive so much use out of what she viewed as scrap metal and the like. People swarmed all over the place doing some sort of work, looking at her suspiciously for a moment. 

"Alec! You have a visitor!" the scaly man said.

"What?" Alec's voice came from the second floor.

"Visitor!" the scaly man shouted back.

Alec gracefully leapt from the banister of the second story to the first. Kris was shocked that he just did that, having never seen him do that before. He smiled at the scaly man genuinely before looking at his visitor. He frowned. 

"Thanks, Mole," he said to the man. 

"Yeah, Alec. Just don't be giving out our location to all your chic friends, okay? Never know which one's gonna snitch," Mole replied, looking threateningly at Kris.

She held his glare and he left. Alec walked over to a little secluded room and Kris followed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her impatiently, once he closed the door. It was hard enough to leave in the morning, and now she was here and his defensive walls were crumbling.

She held up his letter. "This is a load of bullshit," she replied, equally annoyed.

Alec snorted. "It's actually all true. I suggest that you turn around a leave now," he replied arrogantly.

"I'm not leaving until you give me the real reason why you're doing this," she replied assertively.

"I don't have to do shit," Alec retorted. He didn't want her to know.

"You don't think you owe me at least a decent explanation? _It's not safe for us to be together. _It was never safe, Alec, but we never cared. Why do you care now? Yeah, they can find you out, but I don't understand why that would cause you to walk away from me," Kris said.

"I don't expect you to understand," Alec spat back. So much for ending their relationship on a happy note.

Kris sighed. "Why are you being such a goddamn selfish ass? I wake up this morning, naked in a cold bed and freaked out cuz I thought something happened to you, like what happened to Biggs. Do you have any idea what that feels like?" she said, anger and desperation in her voice. 

She was completely lost. She should have known something like this was too good to last that long, she shouldn't have been this naive in the first place. No, she hadn't been naive, she had been trusting. She had trusted Alec not to hurt her, but he did anyway. But he had written that he still loved her so she just didn't understand...

"You didn't know that Niki was with Biggs," Alec said quietly, unable to look at Kris.

"What? Are you serious? Where is she? Is she okay?" Kris asked, worried.

"She saw him die, Kris. She saw them beat the shit out of him and string him up. And then..." he faltered, remembering the look of complete fear on her face.

"What happened?" Kris asked, fearing that she knew the answer already.

"Three guys cornered her when she tried to run away. They beat her, and...they raped her, Kris...left her for dead," Alec answered. There was a long silence until he finally said, "Do you get it now? Why I left, why we can't been seen together? If something happened to me, then fine. But by walking down the street with me on a delivery puts you in danger cuz these crazy, ignorant mobs will want to hurt you just for knowing me!"

Kris bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She understood, she was scared. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Niki felt. Alec must have been so scared when he saw what happened to Niki.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the hospital, she's a mess."

There was another long silence.

"So...what now? We just forget all of this and ignore each other's existence?" Kris asked.

"Basically."

"This is such bullshit!" she exclaimed, frustrated and scared and angry. 

"It's not like we have a choice," Alec replied. 

"There's always a choice," Kris replied hotly.

"Not when the alternative is the possibility of you getting hurt. We're like a virus, screwing up anything and anyone we come into contact with. Max is out right now breaking up with Logan too. Did you know that? The transgentics have to isolate themselves and it sucks and it's unfair but it's necessary...for survival," Alec explained passionately.

She sighed. "You're not a virus," she said quietly, crossing her arms and hugging herself. She couldn't describe the feeling inside. It was worse than a void, what was worse than a void? 

Alec walked slowly over to her and rubbed her shoulders affectionately. "This doesn't change how I feel about you, please believe me. But we can't try to ignore the fact that this world is screwing with us anymore. This whole thing has to be resolved," Alec said, trying to sooth Kris, though he himself was an emotional wreck. 

"How's this gonna be resolved?" she asked, putting her forehead against his chest.

"I dunno, but it will, eventually it will," Alec replied. 

"And then?"

"Then we can eat sorbet together whenever you want," Alec replied, trying his best to smile. Kris smiled a bit in return, it took the edge off the indescribable pain. 

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Author's Note: SO sorry about the delay in updating. I've had AP tests these past two weeks that I've been studying madly for, leaving no time to write. On top of that, this chapter went through so many revisions because I wanted to get it just the way I wanted it. The next update will be in about two weeks because I'll be going out of town for a whole week. Sorry, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! Thanks!


	23. Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

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Author's Note: Whew, this finally got written. So sorry it took so long, thank you for being so patient with me. I haven't written the next chapter yet, but boy, I can't wait to! This chapter sets up a whole mess of conflicts and resolving them will be challenging but fun. Okay, so, I hope you enjoy, **please take note that I use the F word once**, but it's very appropriate. Please review!

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Getting drunk was a wonderful activity. Really, no wonder people did it so often, it was glorious. He couldn't even feel anything anymore. The pain? Gone. The deceit? Gone. All gone...

"Logan? Logan? Hey, Logan, hey!" a voice called out to him from the distance. He turned, seeing a shape that vaguely resembled a girl he knew. "Kris?"

"Yeah, hey, listen, don't you think you've had enough?" the girl asked him.

He scoffed. "Nope," he replied, taking another shot of whiskey. "And if I was you, I'd be doing the same thing I'm doing right now," Logan added, wondering to himself momentarily if he was making any sense. Whatever, he didn't care.

"Logan, I know you're upset, but look, getting drunk over the whole thing isn't going to help. C'mon, lemme take you home," Kris said, gently tugging at Logan's arm. She never saw him so disheveled, so out of control. It scared her. 

Logan frowned. "You would be the only one to understand, huh? How the hell are you dealing with this so good? Huh? I mean, every time I think about him touching her, when I thought I was the only one touching her, it makes me sick!" Logan said, pounding the bar table with his shot glass. 

Kris was confused. "What? What are you talking about?" Kris asked.

Logan perked his head up to look at her again. He started laughing uncontrollably. "Oh God, he didn't even tell you, did he?I can't believe he didn't even have the balls to tell you," Logan said disdainfully. "Then again, I'm not surprised. He was always a user, guess some things never change. Guess some things aren't worth changing for," he added, feeling a bit of the hurt creep up underneath his drunken stupor.

Kris looked at him, worried. He thought Alec was having an affair with Max? How could he get that impression? Granted Max and Alec had spent a lot of time together while they were stocking up T.C., but that was no reason to suspect Max was cheating on Logan. Anyone could see how completely devoted Max was to Logan. It was that look in her eyes, that look that was clearly reflected in Logan's eyes, even now.

"Alec and Max aren't having an affair," Kris replied sternly.

Logan started laughing again. "Not according to Max. No, see, she says they have so much in common, it just makes more sense, yup, sense, it's just better that way. X-5's stick with X'5's and us regular humans stick with our own kind," he said, as though he was explaining all of this to a six-year-old.

Kris blinked numerous times, trying to concentrate. Max said she and Alec were having an affair? No way, Alec loved her, Max loved Logan. But why would Max say something like that? So Logan wouldn't love her anymore? Kris was so confused. 

"But why would they do that? Logan, Max loves you so much," Kris replied adamantly.

Logan shrugged, "Apparently not enough. I guess I just didn't satisfy her. Sorry, Kris, but you know that that also holds true for you. If there wasn't something wrong, then they wouldn't have strayed, right?" 

Kris knew she shouldn't be offended by a drunk man's accusations, but her limited experience prior to being with Alec was something that made her self-conscious initially. But Alec insisted that it didn't show, or he didn't care, but either way, it didn't matter. However, now Logan's implications made her think twice. In hindsight, it was rather foolish for Kris to think that she would be enough to satisfy Alec, a guy who had been used to getting any girl he wanted at any time. 

But Alec loved her. But that shouldn't have been an excuse for her lack of skill in bed. But that would be a stupid reason for Alec to stray. They could have easily talked about that. But perhaps that meant that Alec never loved her to begin with. Perhaps this whole thing was an elaborate game to snag her, play with her for a while, and then ditch her for someone sexier, like Max. No, she just talked with Alec, he could have told her then, but he reinforced his love for her instead. 

"I don't think they're having an affair," Kris stated.

"Look, I know you want to believe that. I do too, but seriously, I think we'd both be kidding ourselves. Kris, just face it, you weren't enough for him," Logan said, taking another shot of whiskey.

She felt like she was a little girl defending the existence of Santa Clause to a jaded man. If Alec really wanted to be with Max, he should have just told her. She would have been upset, yeah, but she would have gotten over it because she would have known that he was happy with her. Now, she was just completely confused and paranoid.

"Logan, let me take you home," she said again.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I can't."

"I guess that makes sense since he didn't tell you, but Max told me. She looked so ashamed. It's real, Kris, and if you want to ignore it, then fine, but you're only fooling yourself. We were stupid to think that love would last," Logan replied in a moment of clarity.

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He couldn't concentrate. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the blueprints in front of him, he couldn't. This was important, he had to find a safe route inside the warehouse to snatch the weapons for T.C. He looked out of his door to the other people rushing around doing work. But he couldn't concentrate. He had been taught to compartmentalize, put all the emotions he was feeling in a mental box and deal with it later, but he couldn't.

Kris had left T.C. fifty-two hours and four minutes ago, and he had thought about her for that entire time. They weren't really together anymore, but they weren't apart either. And that didn't stop him from thinking about her. He thought about her smile and her how her eyes sparkled when the moonlight seeped into their room. He thought about how intelligent and compassionate and sincere she was. He remembered how it was like to feel her body against his as they danced, as they hugged, as they kissed, as they made love. He couldn't kiss her when she had come to T.C. because he would have never stopped then - that would have been bad for them all. She had left with only a warm hug and a small smile, and all Alec wanted to do was run after her, run away with her to some secluded spot where no one knew about transgenetics. But this persecution would never end unless they made it stop. He would make it stop. 

But he couldn't concentrate! All he could think about was Kris, how she felt in bed, how soft the skin of her stomach was when he kissed it, how her hands traced his body as they...this was so weird. It was like he was becoming possessed by these thoughts of her, these very sexual thoughts of her. His body was becoming really hot and there was that smell...

"Alec," a voice called to him. He saw Cece come into his room and close the door behind her. 

Alec knew what it was. "Shit, Cece! Get the hell out of here! You're in heat," Alec said, choking on the words. 

The smell of pheromones drenched the room, stifling his reasoning. That previously faint scent had been pheromones, which made him think those thoughts about Kris. But now he could sense his mind quickly becoming secondary to his animal instincts. 

"Oh, yeah, um, that was stupid of me to come in here, huh? But your door was open and I was walking by and I thought, well, I guess you know what I was thinking since I'm sure you're thinking the same thing right now," Cece said wickedly, her eyes focusing on Alec's lean body as she advanced towards him in a cat-like manner. 

She wanted him, badly. Being his first was nice, but she always wanted something more. And then she saw him again, attached to that regular human that wasn't worth the ground Alec walked on. But they were over, Cece saw Kris leave T.C., upset and trying her hardest not to cry. Alec deserved better, Alec deserved her, and she was going to make him realize how perfect they were together. 

"No, I have Kris," Alec said, as Cece came painfully close to him. The scent of the pheromones completely dizzied Alec.

"Kris? She's gone, Alec. She's not the one for you, I am. We're perfect together, don't you see?" Cece whispered, her lips brushing again Alec's ear and her hands on his sides. 

In a strange moment of clarity, Alec realized what Cece had done. She had planned all of this to trap him in a situation where he wouldn't be able to resist her. "Damn you, Cece," Alec said angrily, but it was too late. 

Cece watched as Alec's eyes darkened, cutting off his anger and turning it into desire.

The animalistic part of Alec was now completely in control. He grabbed Cece's shoulders violently and brought her close to him, slamming their lips together, kissing her with an unnatural hunger and ferocity. Cece eagerly responded, knowing full well that her plan had worked. Alec pushed her onto the bed and quickly got on top of her, a wicked smile on his face, while his heart and mind, under the suffocating haze of the pheromones, cried no. 

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Alec woke up with a start, looking at a grimy ceiling. He could still smell traces of pheromones in the room. He closed his eyes and sighed. What had he done?

"Was is as good for you as it was for me?" a cocky voice asked him from his right side.

He sat up abruptly and looked at the person, now fully dressed. "Fuck you, Cece," Alec said furiously.

Cece smirked. "You just did, Alec. My goodness, you have a terrible memory," she replied arrogantly.

"Get the hell out of here, just get out. I can't believe you did that," Alec said, gripping the sheets to prevent himself from beating her up.

"Oh, now you're going all honorable on me. Puh-leez. You know you wanted it, it's in your DNA to want it."

"You cornered me, you bitch. You cornered me and you knew I wouldn't be able to fight it."

"Aw, are you saying that you were violated or something? Alec, part of you responded to me because that's what you are supposed to do, it was how you were designed. You're not human, Alec, you don't have choice in the matter like humans do. Just accept it, savor it, and move on. You're my mate now. Besides, it's not like Kris is coming back for you anytime soon," Cece said to him. 

At the mention of Kris his heart constricted to the size of a pea. How could he be this stupid? His chest literally ached. Though they weren't technically together, Alec had every intention of remaining loyal to her and he managed to break that a few days after they broke up! He was such an indescribable ass! How could he even look at her without feeling the utmost shame? What would she think? 

"Leave now," Alec ordered, unable to look at Cece.

"You are such a sappy loser, you know that? I just gave you probably the best sex in your entire life and you're still strung out on that stupid human who's not worth..."

Cece couldn't finish her rant because Alec suddenly pinned her against the door. "Don't you dare talk about things you will never understand! One more mention of Kris and I will rip your heart out, do you hear me?" he said ruthlessly. 

Cece smirked. "Now the boy gets some real balls..." she said cockily before Alec opened the door and shoved her out of his room. 

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"Boo Numba Two, you alright?" O.C. asked as she sat next to Kris. O.C. watched Kris stare at the lockers in Jam Pony for about three minutes straight as she sat on one of the benches before O.C. decided to come over.

Kris snapped out of the daze she was in. "Yeah, fine," she replied.

"C'mon, Sugah, Original Cindy knows when her hunnies are hurtin'," O.C. said, nudging Kris to talk to her. 

She had missed talking to people. Max hadn't quit Jam Pony like Alec had, but she had not come in for the past week. O.C. made up the excuse that she was out of town, which Normal didn't believe but accepted. 

"Really, O.C., it's nothing. Just me being girly," Kris insisted.

"What's so wrong with bein' girly then?" O.C. asked.

Kris shook her head, "I'm not gonna be one of those girls who cries over her boyfriend leaving. And he didn't actually leave, he's just not here. God I can't explain it. It's like our relationship is in Limbo and I...I just miss him. I miss his cocky attitude and his hugs. Just stupid things like that. And then I've been getting these thoughts in my head about what he could be doing right now and whatever," Kris said.

"What do you mean by _thoughts in my head_?" O.C. asked.

"It's just that I talked with Logan a week ago, and he said that Max told him she was having an affair with Alec. But I can't believe that, I just can't. But then I start thinking, maybe they did. And then I scold myself for even entertaining the idea cuz Alec wouldn't hurt me like that, but I just can't stop thinking about it," Kris said, almost crying now.

"Oh, Kris, hunnie, you know Alec and Max wouldn't do something like that. I dunno why Max said that, but I'm sure she was lying, probably to make breaking up with Logan easier," O.C. said, hugging her friend.

Kris nodded. "I know you must be right, but..."

"I feel you, I feel you," O.C. said softly. 

O.C. was disappointed in Max for saying something like that which affected Kris and Alec. But then again, when it came to Logan, Max would do anything for him, even if it meant hurting others to make him hate her. O.C. knew Max and Alec didn't have an affair, they couldn't have, because that would have undermined everything Max and Logan had strived for these past few years. 

Kris pulled away from the embrace and gathered herself. She wiped her eyes and smiled at O.C. "Thanks, O.C. Can you cover for me for a bit? I hafta visit Niki in the hospital," Kris asked.

O.C. nodded, "Sure thing, Kris."

Kris smiled slightly and walked out.

The streets looked different without Alec's laughter or undeniable smirk by her side. It was like she was waiting for him to pop out of a side-street and surprise her, telling her the battle for equality for the transgenetics was over and they could be together without fear. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

The doctors had told her not to visit Niki until a week had passed because of her poor condition. She entered the hospital, asked for her room number, and stepped inside. Niki's appearance frightened her to the core. She laid there, still black and blue with a large bump on her head. The huge scraps were scabbing over on her arms. What frightened Kris the most though was the lack of emotion in Niki's eyes. It was like she was now a shell when before she was radiating life. 

Niki heard the door open and turned to it. "Hi, Kris," she said neutrally.

Kris didn't know what to do. Should she smile? No, not appropriate. "Hey," she replied. She moved a chair closer to the bed and sat down. 

The silence that followed was probably the saddest Kris ever experienced. She just didn't know what to say...

"You know what pisses me off?" Niki asked, abruptly breaking the silence that had encompasses the two women. 

"What?"

"He wasn't a bad guy. The news makes these transgenetics out to be this great evil and it's bullshit. He was amazing...and I watched them beat him to death. I couldn't save him, I couldn't even yell for help. I was completely useless and I let him die," Niki said angrily.

"Niki, you can't blame yourself, it's not your fault. People will lash out at the easiest thing to attack when they're scared. Don't do this to yourself," Kris said softly.

Niki swallowed hard and started to show signs of emotion. "It was only a few weeks and I think...I think I could have loved him. I can't tell though, now, everything's so wrong. I can't even begin to understand what happened to me, I can't talk about that at all or else...I just can't. But I know that I could have loved him. I think I did," Niki said, crying.

Kris got off of her chair and sat on Niki's bed, holding her gently as she cried. They stayed like that for an hour until Niki fell asleep. Kris sat back in the chair and watched her friend sleep.

As she slowly walked out of the hospital a few hours later, Kris ran into Cece. 

"Hey," Cece said, a smug look on her face. It had been about a week since she seduced Alec, and she was still glowing. It didn't matter that Alec hated her with a passion, she was still victorious.

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Cece asked.

Kris looked at her curiously. Why was Cece making conversation with her? "Visited Niki."

Cece nodded sympathetically. "How is she?"

"How would you be?" Kris retorted.

"Good point."

"What are you doing here?" Kris asked.

"Snatching some medical supplies. Alec's orders," Cece said, watching Kris facial expression at the mention of her precious boyfriend.

Kris smirked. "Alec's ordering you around? Glad to hear it."

"He orders me around in more ways than one," Cece said evasively.

That couldn't have meant what Kris thought it meant. First Max and now Cece? This was getting too much. Kris decided to try something on Cece.

"Look, I know he's with Max now, so don't even try, okay?" Kris said, feigning annoyance and hurt.

"Max? Are you shitting me? Get real, he and Max are just partners working for a similar cause, blah blah blah."

"Then I'm not following you," Kris said, truly annoyed now.

"Let me make it as simple as possible. Alec's _my_ mate now," Cece said arrogantly.

Kris scoffed. "Um, yeah, right, okay, well, you have a wonderful day," she said, treating Cece as though she were delusional. She began to walk away.

"I know it's hard to believe that your precious Alec strayed from you, but he did. And it wasn't with Max," Cece called after her.

"Look, whatever fantasy you wanna create for yourself, fine. Just spare others from having to listen to them," Kris snapped.

Cece paused for a second as she watched Kris walk away. "You know, you never imagine a guy like Alec to be ticklish. But he is, but it's only in two spots. It's on his barcode and behind his knees. The barcode is ticklish for all transgenetics, I think. But behind the knees, I think I've only seen that in Alec. And it's weird because he only squirms if you tickle him with your fingertips. If you kiss him there, it's not ticklish for him. Weird huh?" Cece said casually, watching for Kris reaction carefully.

Kris' insides froze and she stopped walking. How could Cece know that unless she and Alec had been very close to each other? Why would Alec let her get that close when he didn't like her? A billion questions raced through her mind, all leading to one undeniable fact: Alec had slept with Cece. Kris turned around to face Cece, an icy glare in her eyes that even Cece was surprised, though pleased, to see. Without another word, Kris walked away, refusing to let the challenger see that she was shattering inside. 

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Author's note: OOOOOhhhhh, all these conflicts and NO resolution. No worries, there will be answers and explanations next chapter I promise. I think this story is coming close to a finish, probably 3 chapters left or so. Please review and let me know what you think!


	24. She Got Lucky, No, Not That Type of Luck...

Kris sipped the ginger ale painfully slowly that night. She was in such a strange daze as though she was outside her body, watching herself drink the ginger ale. People bustled around her towards the dance floor and all she could do was sit there, on a stool at _The Crash _and sip ginger ale. She should get drunk. Logan had the right idea. 

No, she wouldn't let a stupid guy pull her into that endless spiral of drinking ever again. Not even Alec. Alec. Cece. Together. The thought was indescribably disgusting. 

It felt like someone had pounded a fist on her chest countless times leaving an invisible bruise. She had been such a fool. No, no, this wasn't her fault. Alec was the one who messed up, it was his fault. She did all she could have done for him this past year and three months. If he wanted to cheat on her, she couldn't have done anything to stop it, but the fact that he did sleep with Cece meant that she wasn't worth his loyalty. 

That was what hurt so much. She wasn't worth it to Alec when he had been worth it to her. Screw Alec, if he wanted to throw away everything they had created together for a hideous person like Cece, then fine. She wouldn't be the girl who took back a guy who cheated on her even if he begged for forgiveness. 

The bartender came over, set another ginger ale in front of Kris and walked away. 

"Excuse me, I didn't order this," Kris said to the bartender. 

"It's on him," the bartender replied, pointing to a man a few stools down. 

Kris' eyes followed the bartender's finger to a dark-haired man with a small smirk on his face. She didn't recognize him as he made his way over to her, slightly drunk.

"Hey, hope you don't think I'm being obnoxious for buying you a drink," the man said, flashing her a sweet smile. His nose was pointy and his greenish eyes has a slightly drunken sheen over them. He wasn't unattractive, but his looks could not compare to Alec's. 

She couldn't believe she being hit on. Well why not tonight? At least it would get her mind off Alec and Cece and their gross sexual escapades. 

"No, thank you very much," Kris said, offering him a seat next to her. She could pretend to be anyone she wanted to be with this guy and he wouldn't know the difference. For tonight, she wouldn't be the heartbroken Kris who killed her fake ex-boyfriend to save the life of her trangenetic best friend whom she loved who slept with a hideous woman after they broke up.

"I'm Hayden," the man said, extending his hand to her. 

Kris hesitated. "Tammy," Kris replied politely. The name Tammy was a good place to get a fresh start. 

"Not a big drinker?" Hayden asked.

"No, not really," Kris replied.

"I saw you come in and looked distracted. You fascinated me, I kept on wondering what could upset you so much, and I wanted to cheer you up," Hayden said straightforwardly.

Kris blushed slightly. "Thank you."

They made small talk for a while and flirted endlessly. It made Kris feel special, like she was worth something. In the back of her mind she knew that was she was doing was downright stupid and wouldn't solve any of her problems, but she ignored that part of her mind. She had created a whole new life in front of this guy where she was in the cosmetic industry and without a care in the world. 

"Tammy," Hayden started, many drinks later. Kris had forgotten that that was the name she had given him. "I don't want to seem too forward, but I was wondering if you'd like to come back to my place," he finished. 

Kris gulped. She knew this was coming. She thought about Alec momentarily, the hurt seeping into her. "Sure," she replied. 

They left _The Crash _together and made their way back to his apartment which was only a block away. Right when Hayden closed his apartment door, he slammed Kris against the back of the door and kissed her passionately. The stench of the alcohol almost made Kris pull away, but this was distracting the pain inside her heart. Being desirable made her feel so good.

Hayden eagerly led Kris to his bedroom while kissing her. He proceeded to take off his clothes when Kris hesitated. 

Kris hesitated. "Hayden, can we hold off for just a little bit?" she asked, hoping this complete stranger would respect her.

He sighed. "You are such a tease," he said. 

"Makes it worth the wait."

Hayden sat down on his bed and turned on the TV. There was a repeat of the eleven o'clock news on where the anchormen was talking about another X-5 transgenetic being caught. This one, however, wasn't lynched. 

"That the second one this week," Hayden said. 

"Yeah," Kris replied softly.

"You know, the technology the Feds are using to catch these things isn't even that advanced," he commented arrogantly.

Kris' ears perked up. "What do you mean?" 

"All they do have a device that measures body temperature. The freaks' temperature is hotter than real people."

"How…how do you know this?"

"There's plenty of info on the Web if you know where to look," Hayden replied, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. 

"Are you a hacker?" Kris asked straight out. 

Hayden laughed. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for." Kris would have slapped him for the apparent insult, but he was very drunk and telling her valuable information. 

"So you hacked into the FBI website or something?" she asked as casually as she could.

"All over."

She bit her lip nervously. "Can…can I see what you've compiled?"

Hayden looked at her curiously. "Why are you so interested?"

She thought quickly. "I hate them. One of them I think killed my friend," she lied. 

He appraised her response and apparently found it suitable. He got up slowly and stumbled into his office. CD's were piled everywhere, labeled with secrets the government didn't want to reveal. He took one of them and inserted it into his computer. Specs regarding the device the government was using popped onto the screen along with other information he had compiled about the transgenetics in general.

"Shit…" she said quietly.

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" he asked. 

She nodded dumbly. She had to make a copy of that CD. But how? 

Hayden led her back into the bedroom and began kissing her neck. She smiled seductively as he slung his arms around her waist. She had to find a way to get out of there, after she made a copy of that CD or downright stole it. Perhaps when he was asleep afterwards she could sneak back into the office. She felt herself being pushed quickly down onto his bed and he fell on top of her. She froze and cursed herself for her stupidity. No matter how hard she wanted to forget Alec, she just couldn't sleep with this stranger. Now she had gotten herself in a terrible situation. 

"Hayden, where's your bathroom? I have to, um, freshen up," Kris said. 

Hayden looked disappointed but he answered, "Just down that hall."

"Great," Kris said, getting up. "Just lie, down, relax, okay?" she whispered, pushing him onto the bed and watching him settle down. His eyes closed. 

She quickly went to the bathroom, closed the door and began panicking. She paced the small room frantically for a minute or so. After calming down, she weighed her options. She knew that the CD would be priceless to T.C., but she couldn't prostitute herself in the hopes that he would fall asleep and she could slip away with a copy. She wanted to forget about Alec, yeah, but she just couldn't go through with sleeping with a stranger. She did it once after she thought Sean died and didn't like it. So, if he pushed her into having sex with him, she would just fight him. Granted he was bigger but, she could try. Shit, what was she thinking! She was terrified. She just had to get out of there. She inhaled deeply and walked out, prepared to fight her way out if he forced himself onto her.

She was met by snores. 

Hayden was sleeping like a baby on his bed, the alcohol causing him to pass out while waiting for her to come back. Thank God! She quietly slipped into his office and waited anxiously as she burned a copy of the CD, waiting to hear if Hayden woke up. He didn't. She slipped out of his apartments and ran to T.C.

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"No, Cece," Alec said firmly as she slid her hand underneath his shirt while they looked over some papers. He had no patience for what Cece was trying to pull. 

"Alec, don't be like that. You know you like it," Cece said arrogantly with a seductive smile playing on her lips. It was the early morning after Cece had told Kris about her and Alec, though Alec had no clue that Kris knew. 

Alec picked up the papers and moved to another location. Cece followed. "Goddamn it! Cece! Get it through that thick skull of yours! I don't love you, I don't even like you. What happened between us was completely meaningless. So get the hell away from me! We aren't together!" 

Cece looked angry, as though she finally understood what Alec had been saying all along. She pursed her lips together and stalked away.

Alec sighed. Finally. But now that he was alone, all he thought about was that gnawing feeling between his ribs. Kris. He was such an ass. He tried to justify his actions in his head. 

Cece had trapped him, he couldn't resist, he didn't have a choice. Nonetheless, he felt so bad. Could he even tell Kris? He visualized how that would play out. _Hey, Kris, I have this cat DNA in me and when there's a female X-5 in heat, I can't help but bang her senseless. _Oh yeah, very suave. His thoughts were broken with a bustling coming from the other side of the central room of T.C.

He looked over to see Kris coming in hurriedly with Mole behind her, equally anxious. Kris looked towards Alec, meeting his eyes momentarily before she proceeded to ignore him. Alec came over, near where Kris was as she talked to Mole and overheard their conversation.

"Mole, I need to talk to the tech here," Kris said urgently, still breathless from running over to T.C..

Mole nodded. "Luke!" he called to a pasty transgenetic.

Luke came over and looked at Mole and then Kris. "What's up, guys?"

"Hi, Luke. My name is Kris, I have some info for you," she said, handing him a CD.

"Oh! You're Kris? Alec talks about you all the time, but just don't tell him that," Luke said happily, not seeing Alec a few feet away. 

Alec saw Kris smile momentarily before a dark expression streaked her face. A crowd began to gather around her and Luke. 

"This is a CD that has a shit-load of information about how the Feds are catching the X-5's. They're using a sort of scanning device that measures body heat since an X-5's temperature is hotter than other people's. There's a whole bunch of other info on it, I didn't get a chance to look at it all," Kris said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. 

"Wow, this is fantastic! Thank you, Kris. This is...wow!" Luke said excitedly, inserting the CD into a computer and skimming the information. 

Kris smiled a bit. "I'm just glad that we found out how...how they got Biggs," she said quietly, her voice cracking with sadness at the memory. 

"But what are we supposed to do with this information? We can't change our body temperature, unless we stick ice down our pants," a teenage X-series transgenetic said. 

Luke frowned. "At least we know how they're picking you guys off," he said angrily. 

Kris looked around, seeing Max smiling at her. She smiled slightly back. "Do whatever you want with it, I'm just the delivery girl. I should go, I'll see you guys later," she said.

"Thanks, Kris," Max said, coming over to her and giving her a hug. As she pulled away she added quickly, "Alec and I don't have anything going on, but I never warned you about my lie. O.C. called me today and yelled at me for not telling you. I never even told Alec about it cuz it was just supposed to make Logan hate me. I'm so sorry for being so selfish and shit. I didn't mean for you to doubt Alec."

Kris nodded. "I understand, but your plan didn't work. Logan still loves you, though now he's bitter. He feels inadequate but that doesn't change how he feels about you. It only makes him feel bad because he thinks he wasn't enough for you," Kris explained, glancing at Alec subconsciously. Alec was watching her attentively as well. 

Max's eyes fell. "He was more than enough," she said quietly, tears started creeping into her eyes. No, now wasn't the time to cry. 

Kris hugged her friend again. "Stop pushing him away. You guys have been through so much. He deserves the truth, don't you think?"

Max nodded and Kris smiled slightly. "Oh, by the way, how the hell did you get that CD?" Max asked.

Kris hesitated and then shrugged. "Got lucky. I'll see you later," she said, walking away. 

Before she made it to the door, she felt someone's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her towards him. 

"Hey," Alec said softly, once Kris was turned around to face him. 

Kris didn't know how long she could last in his presence. When she saw him, she was happy, sad, angry, all mixed into one blob of emotion. She looked down at his hand on her wrist, momentarily savoring his touch, before wrenching her arm away from his. Anger was prevailing.

"Don't touch me," she said coldly.

Alec was taken aback for a second, "Sorry."

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"I, uh, just wanted to know how you got the CD; you couldn't have gotten it easily."

"Like I told Max, I got lucky," Kris said. She wouldn't taunt him with the details in an attempt to make him jealous of a drunk hacker who passed out. She had realized how pathetic her actions had been as she ran over to T.C. 

"C'mon, Kris, how did you do it?" Alec asked.

"It's not important, Alec. Just be glad that you guys know how they got Biggs," Kris said dismissively, not looking at him. She was having an excruciatingly hard time remaining civil to him when part of her wanted to rip his insides apart and the other wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him forever. 

"No, Kris, wait," Alec said pleadingly, touching her shoulder and coming closer to her. He inhaled and looked strangely at her.

"I said don't..." Kris said, but she was cut off.

"You smell like alcohol and men's cologne," Alec said suspiciously. 

Kris removed Alec's hand from her shoulder and began walking away again. She didn't want him to know what happened, how scared and stupid she was and lucky she had been to have not gotten hurt. 

Alec froze for a second, processing all the evidence in front of him. "Kris! Tell me you didn't! Please!" Alec said angrily, running in front of her to cut off her path. 

Her eyes narrowed. "Why would you care anyways? It's not like we're together anymore."

"I still care about you. You could have gotten hurt," Alec said impatiently. He kept on getting this visual in his mind of Kris and a faceless man, not himself, in bed...he wanted to pound the guy. But she was right, they weren't together anymore. 

"Oh give me a break. _You still care about me? _You turned our relationship to shit when you screwed Cece, so why the hell should you be so concerned?" she asked him vehemently. 

Alec's mouth dropped. Cece told her. 

"You thought I wouldn't find out? You weren't gonna tell me, were you? Shit, I can't believe you, Alec. The first week we are apart you go and sleep with the most awful person I can think of. I mean, I thought you were the one who liked a challenge and sleeping with Cece wasn't a real challenge since she's been throwing herself at you for so long. But I guess that I was a long-ass challenge, so you wanted an easy fuck after having to jump through so many hoops to sleep with me, huh? That's what I was, wasn't I? A challenge for the Golden Boy to conquer," she spat out furiously.

Alec gulped. Was that what she thought. Oh God, that was what his actions made her think of him, of their time together. "No Kris, you know you meant…you mean so much to me," he said softly, "With Cece, I didn't have a choice..."

"No! Don't give me that bullshit! No! There's always a choice! Always! You just chose Cece over me and now I have to deal with that. Goddamn it, Alec, I trusted you! You said before that you would screw up and hurt me. And it happened! You said you loved me…was that a lie? Well, I won't lie to you. Even though I hate you for hurting me, I still love you. But it doesn't really matter now, does it? So, go, Alec, be _mates_ with Cece, good luck with that," Kris said sarcastically, anger, bitterness, and hurt evident in her voice.

Alec had to explain quickly or else would never be able to salvage his relationship with Kris. "She was in heat and locked herself in my room and the cat DNA in me responded to her. I slept with her, but I didn't want to. I should have fought her off harder, but the animal part of me took over after smelling her pheromones. I had promised myself that I would stay true to you and then I broke that and I'm such a shithead, I know that. But our relationship isn't a game to me and I wasn't lying when I said I loved you…I never stopped, and...shit, I'm so sorry..." he trailed off. 

Kris was silent, trying to understand what exactly he was saying. Cece trapped him, it was her fault all this happened. She looked past Alec and back towards the crowd surrounding Luke and the computer. She walked back towards the crowd. 

Alec had no idea what she was doing. Didn't she have anything to say to him? Shouldn't she be yelling at him some more? He deserved it. He watched her walk towards the others.

Kris saw Cece on the outskirts of the crowd. "Hey, Cece," Kris greeted her. 

Cece turned around and smirked at Kris. "Good job with the intel, I'm very impressed," she said casually.

"Thanks. Look, I have to tell you something," Kris said. She knew what she was doing, whether or not she would survive it was a completely different story. But she recklessly didn't care if she survived, Cece had this coming for a long time. 

"Yeah? What?" Cece asked.

Kris opened her mouth as though she was going to say something, but her fist swiftly came across her body and hit Cece squarely on the left side of her face. Cece, caught off guard, fell onto the floor and the crowd shifted their attention onto the woman on the floor and the one standing angry over her. 

"You're pathetic," Kris said icily. She turned around while Cece looked at her vengefully from the ground. Kris braced herself for Cece's attack from behind that would probably end in Kris' death or something very close to it, but nothing came. The crowd had held Cece back from attacking Kris, since Kris had just supplied T.C. with valuable information. 

"Kris..." Alec said, attempting to hold her hand.

She pulled away. "No, no, I can't. I'll see you later, Alec." She was about to leave, but then turned around again. "It was a hacker, I wanted to hurt you by sleeping with him, but I couldn't. He passed out, and I made a copy of the CD," she added before running off.

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Author's Note: I am so sorry that it took all these months to update. You will not believe the writer's block I had with this story. The end is coming and I want it to be spectacular, but everything I wrote seemed so lame. I've built these characters up so much and so to have them look lame at the end was inexcusable. But I think I know what I'm going to write now. And God willing, it won't be lame. Thank you all for your e-mails and words of encouragement, and I apologize for the long delay. I didn't forget any of you or your support. It's what has been keeping me going and never giving up on this story. So thank you, dear reviewers, and please let me know what you think!


	25. The Fleeting Hatred and a Little Hope

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Author's Note: WOW, so so so sorry for the like 4 month break between updates. I just finished my first quarter in college and it's been really hard to find time to write with college-y things all over. But now I'm on break and so hopefully you guys haven't forgotten about my story. Please leave a review, let me know what you think, and I'll try to update quicker. Anyway, on with the story! 

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Alec walked around Seattle pretending to not have a care in the world. He nodded respectfully to any elderly woman and smiled charmingly at any young lady who passed his way. He basically ignored the males on the street. He eyed a black sedan parked on the opposite side of the street and saw a camera-like device in the driver's hands. It was the thermal scanner the CD Kris gave them described. Alec whistled happily and strutted right past the car, wishing they would scan his body to find nothing out of order. 

That was exactly what happened. 

Alec couldn't help but grin madly as he realized no agent was going after him. It had been a month since Kris swept into T.C. with the answer to Bigg's death. Since then, Luke had devised a type of vest that was lined with frozen gelatin that cooled an X-transgenetic's body temperature from the normal 101 degrees Fahrenheit to the typical 98.6 degrees. The gelatin, unfortunately, did melt and so the vests only lasted a few hours before having to be refroze. But it was a few hours of freedom that they would not have had otherwise. 

All X-transgenetics wore these vests, which looked completely normal and no more had been caught, causing the media to question whether or not there were anymore left. The government officials could not come right out and say that there were more X-5 transgenetics because it made them look inept since they had not caught more. They could not say there were no more X-5's because Senator McKinley knew very well that there were more. So, the government could not comment and the media began focusing on other stories, quickly losing interest in a story that had no more excitement, no more lynching. Sales of the shirts with Joshua's picture on it plummeted. The only thing that kept the "transgenetic situation" on the minds of Americans was the capture of a "freaky" looking transgenetic two weeks ago. His appearance was very similar to Mole's. But news got old fast. 

So Alec walked arrogantly passed the car, wearing the gelatin vest over his beige sweater and black jeans, pretending that everything was great. In truth, he was absolutely miserable. He had not spoken nor seen Kris for the entire month and he pined for her. Yes, Alec, the Golden Boy, the arrogant, chauvinistic, damn sexy transgenetic that he was...was pining for his girlfriend. He wanted to feel her breath on his neck as he hugged her, he wanted to taste the chocolate sorbet on her lips as they kissed, and he wanted to hear her tease him endlessly as her eyes glowed with laughter and love. But he could not have what he wanted. 

He passed her apartment occasionally and remembered all the times he invaded it to be met with a roll of her eyes and a small smile. He completely took those things for granted then. He thought he loved her a lot when she was next to him in bed, but he realized that he loved her even more when she was proverbially miles away. That shit about absence making the heart grow fonder was completely true. 

He wondered what she was doing right then. It was about six in the evening on a gloomy Friday, so she was probably leaving _Jam Pony _and heading over to _The Crash _with Sketchy and O.C. for some ginger ale. Then again, was she even going to _The Crash _still? How had her life changed? 

So many times he wanted to find her and tell her again how sorry he was for hurting her, for betraying her trust. He had no idea how he could fix it, but the image of her hurt face as she shouted at him at T.C. haunted him. That along with the memories of happier times drove him crazy occasionally. 

She had been willing to sleep with a complete stranger to forget about him, that was how much he had hurt her. He was thankful that she didn't, but it only made him feel even more guilty for what he did. He didn't know how much time she would need before she would talk to him. 

Alec sighed as he walked, his arrogant persona crumbling as he continued to think of Kris. He turned the corner to walk down an alley.

"Alec," a voice called to him, breaking his train of thought. 

"Cece," he said, suspiciously. Since the day Kris came to T.C., Cece had avoided Alec and had quit _Jam Pony _upon Max's request. So, Alec was a bit suspicious that Cece was now talking to him in an alley after a month of evasion. 

"I just want you to know that I had to do this," she replied cryptically. 

Alec furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about, Cece?"

Before she replied, Alec felt a dozen stun guns on him. He didn't even have a chance to fight before blacking out.

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She faced his door and debated with herself about whether or not she should knock. She hadn't spoken to him since that night over a month ago when she said she was with Alec. Despite Kris telling her that she should talk to him, she couldn't gather the courage to do so. Bravery wasn't something she lacked in most situations, but she lacked it terribly when it came to him. 

She continued to stare at the door. Before she would just barge in without knocking, raid his refrigerator, and give him a thorough kiss when he acted annoyed about her antics. But that was before…before she screwed up. 

She knocked. 

The door opened a few moments later to reveal a mildly disheveled man. 

"Max," he said, surprised. He hadn't seen her in a month. 

"Hi, Logan. Can I…"

"Yeah, come in," he said, leaving the door open as he returned to his computer. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, um, I'm fine." She appraised him as inconspicuously as she could. He looked more ragged, more worn. He hadn't shaved for probably four days and bags drooped below his eyes that his glasses couldn't hide. He seemed a bit skinnier too and Max wished she could cook him some chicken to eat. 

"Can I help you with something?" Logan asked, unable to hide the annoyance and hurt in his voice. 

Max focused on his eyes. "Yeah. Kris met this guy and he's a hacker. She saw that he had info on all these government secrets and classified stuff, so he must be pretty good. I was wondering if you could go over there and ask him for info regarding The Familiars under the cover of working for Eyes Only. Maybe he could find something. Also, anything about Senator McKinley because he's the ass that's been pushing the transgenetic thing so hard even though no X-5's have been caught recently. Maybe with the intel that the hacker can find and the stuff Lydecker left behind and all the other little pieces we have, we can get a better understanding as to what these cult guys are and how they work. I've been saving up my money from Jam Pony and so I can pay for the hacker, I was just wondering if you could help me," Max explained quickly, looking down afterwards. She knew she was asking a lot of him.

He thought about it for a while and then asked, "How does Kris know him?"

"She met him at _The Crash _and went back to his place," Max said.

Logan's eyes bulged momentarily. That seemed completely unlike the Kris they knew. "I see," he said quietly. He guessed the knowledge of Alec and Max together had affected her more than she had let on when he had seen her this past month. "Will her involvement with him be a problem?"

"What?" Max looked at him quizzically. Then she understood. "No, they aren't involved. She left before they got, um...involved. She just burned a CD with all this info regarding what the government is doing with the trangenetics and how they are catching the X-5's. But she never saw him again. She remembered his address and she told me about his work."

"Ah, yeah, that sounds more like Kris," Logan said, pushing his glasses on his nose. "I'll see if he'll help," he added.

Max smiled. "Thanks, Logan," she said, taking an envelope out of her back pocket. "Here's all the money I have. I'll go back to T.C. and see if Alec has anymore if the hacker is expensive."

Logan visibly winced at the mention of Alec as he took the money. "How, how is he anyway?" he asked. 

"Oh, uh, he's alright. We're all working really hard. The vests really help out," Max stammered uncharacteristically. 

Logan knew about vests from Kris who knew about them from Max. Kris was rather smug when she told him about it, though she wouldn't explain why. Now he understood that the vests stemmed from the information T.C. acquired through the CD Kris gave them. 

"That's good. You two are okay?" He didn't know why he subjected himself to the torture of knowing about Max and Alec, but curiosity got the best of him. 

"We aren't together," she confessed, holding her breath to watch his reaction. 

His eyes lit up momentarily, much like they used to when he saw Max. "When did this happen?" 

Max looked down again, knowing she would have to tell him everything. "Logan, I…I lied. Alec and I…we were never together. I wanted you to hate me so much that you would stop loving me because it's so dangerous to be around me, around any of us, and I…I didn't want you to get hurt or die because of me," Max croaked out on the verge of tears.

Logan looked at Max in complete disbelief. This whole time, he had been miserable because she lied. He was relieved, but angry. "How could you do that to me?" he asked fiercely. 

"I just wanted you to be safe," she replied.

"You didn't even give me a choice to be with you! You tell me that you're with Alec and completely break me and now you tell me that it's a compete lie? I've been living in hell this past month, Max! Memories of us haunt me when I'm awake and then I dream about you only to wake up to an empty bed and the knowledge that I wasn't good enough for you to stay with me. And now you tell me that you subjected me to all that grief _for my safety_? I've been in danger a lot, Max, my job make me one of the most wanted people in America! And yet you took it upon yourself to protect me with a lie that hurt more than I imagine any bodily harm could," Logan shouted angrily. 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she back away from him shaking her head. "I just wanted you to hate me, please hate me."

He walked towards her, gripping her wrist firmly. His other hand combed through her hair as she began tearing. She wiped them away furiously, but tears kept falling as she felt his fingers in her hair and the pressure on her wrist. She missed him so much. 

"I hated you," Logan said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I hated you so much. I hated Alec. But then it went away, and I tried to hate you still. I was angry with you, but I couldn't hate you anymore. I hated myself because I thought I wasn't enough."

"No…you're it Logan, but it's so dangerous out there," she said, trying to get out of his grasp without hurting him. But he wouldn't let go. "Let go, I don't want you to get hurt," Max said assertively.

He held her tighter. "Break my wrist if you want to leave," he dared, looking straight into her eyes. Now that he knew she still wanted him, he wasn't going to let her go again. 

She stared at him somewhat surprised, not saying anything.

"You don't get it, do you? You're the first person I would get hurt for. You can't just get rid of me because you're scared," Logan said, his voice sounding hollow and scratchy. 

"Logan, if something happened to you…"

"It's my choice. Just like if something happened to you, it would be your choice," he stated. 

She struggled half-heartedly, but her resolve soon left her and she stopped fighting against him. There were too many bad things to fight against; it was stupid to fight against something so...good.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Logan took the hand that was on her wrist and wrapped it around her waist. "I forgive you." He leaned down and kissed the tears off her cheeks tenderly. "Just don't ever lie to me again," he added, a small smile on his face.

Max smiled too. "Deal," she whispered between soft kisses. 

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Kris slid into the warm bath and let out a sigh. It took her way too long to boil all that water on the stove. She was completely exhausted after another endless day at _Jam Pony_. She had been covering Max's shift again and though she loved her friend, she was ready to slap her for not doing her own work. Not that Kris blamed her. Max was needed at T.C. and the money from the _Jam Pony _job helped with supplies that the transgenetics couldn't steal. Nonetheless, Kris was so tired. 

But the fatigue distracted her from the pain. She knew now that Cece had seduced Alec, and she talked to Max who had explained how hard it is to resist pheromones. She didn't know how to proceed from there. She still loved Alec; she worked this hard in the hopes that her small contribution would make his freedom from hiding sooner. 

What got her so frustrated was that she had already forgiven him for sleeping with Cece. She expected to be bitter for a lot longer than a month, but instead, she felt hurt. Also, now she wasn't sure if she could trust him like she had. He interacted with female X-5's daily and did that mean that whenever one was in heat he would jump her and that was just something Kris would have to accept? No, she accepted a lot of things about him: the weird sleeping (or lack of sleeping) habits, the mood swings, the inner demons that plagued his mind occasionally, but she could not accept him sleeping with other women because the animalistic part of him was horny. That was where she drew the line. 

But was there even a line to draw anymore? Where did she stand in his life? He could have moved on in the past month for all she knew, though her inner voice said that he did no such thing. Though it wouldn't be uncharacteristic of him to get over her so quickly, Kris hoped to think that she was different than the other women he dated. She selfishly hoped that he was as miserable as she was.

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"Can I help you?" the dark haired, green-eyed man asked as he partially opened the door to look at Logan.

"Are you Hayden?" Logan asked.

The man behind the door looked at Logan suspiciously. "Who wants to know?" he asked.

"My name is Logan Cale. I work for Eyes Only. I have a intel job for you, if you're interested."

"How did you get my address?"

"I never give out my sources," Logan replied, a polite smile on his face. 

"I'm Hayden. Come in," Hayden said, opening the door for Logan to enter. 

Logan appraised the apartment. It wasn't terribly impressive, but then again it didn't get much better than Logan's place. 

"So how can I help you Mr. Cale?" Hayden asked.

"Do you think you can find information on an underground cult called the Familiars?" Logan asked.

Hayden crossed his arms and thought about it. "I don't know anything about them, but I'm sure I could find something."

"I don't need something, I need everything," Logan replied.

Hayden arched an eyebrow. "Anything else, Mr. Cale?"

"Senator McKinley. I want every bit of dirt on that guy you can find."

"That should be easy," Hayden replied arrogantly.

"When could you have this info for me?"

"Well, I'm not working on anything pressing right now, so I'd say you can check back with me in three days. I should have all there is to find by then."

"You're fast," Logan commented.

Hayden shook his head. "No, I'm just good at what I do."

"How much do you charge?" Logan asked.

Hayden smirked. "You say this is for Eyes Only?" he asked.

"Yes."

"This one's on me."

Logan looked at him quizzically. "I don't understand."

"I really admire your work, Mr. Cale," Hayden replied.

"This isn't for me, it's for Eyes Only," Logan insisted.

"I really admire your work, Mr. Cale," Hayden repeated. 

Logan's eyes bulged ever so slightly in shock. How could he know?

Hayden laughed. "Like I said, I'm good at what I do. Don't worry, I'll never tell a soul," he said, smiling. 

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Author's Note: Was the Logan/Max love thing alright? I love their characters, they have such a great dynamic. Anyway, please review. Thanks a lot! 


	26. The One and The One She May Lose

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in months and months, but it's been really hard for me. College has been taking up all of my time, and so I can't devote as much continuous time onto a chapter as I would like. This story is my baby though, and I have not abandoned it. It's coming to a close - I just have to figure out how to end it exactly. After building up so much, I think I need a stupendous ending that I don't think I can give it justice right now. But that doesn't mean that I won't finish. Summer is coming up and I will have more time to devote to it. I think about this story all the time (especially in lecture when it's boring) and hopefully will finish soon. Thanks for everyone who has reviewed this story and liked it and supported me. I wholeheartedly appreciate it. I don't have the next chapter written, but when I do, it will go up immediately. Sorry about the delays, I just want the story to come out how I feel it should. Thanks everyone!

Logan knocked on Hayden's door two days later. He was amazed that Hayden had found out information about the Familiars and Senator McKinley already. It was still uncomfortable that Hayden knew he was Eyes Only. Where had he not covered his tracks? He had, that was the thing. Hayden was just that good. It was comforting and a little disconcerting to be working with someone with that much ability. 

Hayden opened the door, looking scruffy and worn. "Mr. Cale, hello," he said tiredly, allowing Logan to come into his apartment. 

"I was surprised to hear your message about finding information already. You've exhausted all possible areas regarding the Familiars and Senator McKinley?" Logan asked.

Hayden smirked. "You'd be surprised how fast I work if my ass is possibly in jeopardy," he replied, a hint of paranoia in his voice.

"Excuse me?" Logan asked. He didn't understand what Hayden had to do with any of this. 

"Well, first, you'd be interested to know that Senator McKinley is a Familiar," Hayden started.

_Of course_, Logan thought. That cleared up everything, almost. "That is interesting," Logan commented, still waiting for Hayden to explain his comment about his own ass. 

Hayden sat down at his computer and inserted a CD. Files and files of data appeared on the screen. Hayden clicked on a few and began speaking. 

"Secondly, the Familiars are a cult of super-human people, but probably you knew this. But what I doubt you knew was that they are in trouble. By trying to perfect their race, they have evolved so much that it is very difficult to procreate with a regular human being. They are almost a separate species from us lowly humans because their DNA is becoming too different. Therefore it is harder for them to make matches to women or men that will successfully make these super babies. Trying to procreate with each other doesn't turn out successful, similar to how incest produces babies with health issues like anemia." Pictures of deformed, underweight babies came onto the screen. 

Logan grimaced and listened attentively as Hayden continued. 

"So basically, they can't screw regular humans and they can't screw themselves to make babies. They thought about the transgenetics, but transgenetics stand for everything they don't want. So basically they'd rather die out than screw a transgenetic. So they're still trying to find something in the long run, but they need a quick fix for now. And that quick fix is her," Hayden said.

Picture after picture of Kris came onto the screen. Pictures of her while she worked, while she was grocery shopping, while she was petting a dog on the street. There were pictures of her with Alec riding bikes during work together, her with Max and O.C. and Sketchy at _The Crash_, her with Logan along the street, and there was one of her leaving _The Crash _with Hayden. The file on her explained her relationship with Sean, her arrival in Seattle, her job at Jam Pony, and her relationship with X5-494 that was believed to be romantic. 

"As you can see, I'm a little concerned about this," Hayden said, pointing his mouse's cursor to the picture of him and Kris. "She said her name was Tammy when I met her, and obviously you know that's not true since you know her."

Logan nodded absently as he tried to process all this information. "I still don't understand," he said.

"Well, she's their...how do I put it? She's their universal mate. According to her DNA, she could mate with any one of the male Familiars and create another Familiar. She's had the two miscarriages that are customary to have for ritualistic purposes, and now she is ready to make their babies if they have it their way," Hayden explained.

Logan shook his head. "The Elders put her with Sean."

Hayden knew what Logan was talking about. "Well yes, but upon another review of the DNA of all the people they match up with because they are so desperate, they found that she matched up with anyone. Sorta like Type O blood. If you look at the pictures and dates on the files they have of her, they are rather recent. Most of this information appeared only a few months ago, suggesting that they didn't know until just now how vital she is to their preservation." 

"No wonder they haven't tried to kill her," Logan mumbled. This was why White and the Familiars hadn't tried to take revenge after she killed Sean. What was one dead Familiar if she could save them by making baby after baby? Logan cringed at the sickness of this whole thing. Kris was just a girl trying to live her life... 

"Anyway, there's a shitload of info that I found. But I don't want any part in this. If something goes down, I don't exist. It's bad enough that they have a picture of me, it's just a good thing they don't know what I really do for a living," Hayden said, handing the CD to Logan. 

"Thanks Hayden," Logan said appreciatively, anxious to get back to his apartment to view all of the CD. 

"You're welcome, Mr. Cale. It's been a real honor working for you, but be careful, these Familiars are everywhere," Hayden replied as Logan walked towards the door. 

Logan nodded and left. 

Logan entered his apartment quietly. When he left, Max was asleep. She rarely slept and he was glad that she was finally getting some rest. No matter what she said, she was getting worn from all this work and hiding. 

He took off his jacket and thought of how Kris must not know any of the information Hayden had found. He had thought her involvement with the Familiars was over once Sean died, but it was just beginning. If they were to get her...she would become nothing more than a breeding machine. He owed too much to Kris to let that happen to her. 

He walked over to his bedroom and watched Max sleep from the doorway. He thought about what would happen if she were captured by the Familiars. They would study her, test her, experiment with her like they would a lab rat to try and find the transgenetics' weaknesses. Logan gritted his teeth. He lost her once to that, he wouldn't lose her again. He refused. 

"Are you just going to stand there?" Max asked sleepily.

Logan smiled. "I didn't want to wake you up. You need the rest," he said softly, coming to the bed and lying down next to her. She hadn't slept in days and contrary to what she said, it had been taking its toll on her body. 

She shifted in the sheets so that she was facing Logan fully. He stroked her bare back soothingly, enjoying the brief moment until he had to tell her all he had learned. 

Max frowned. "What is it?" she asked, noticing his sad eyes as he was lost in his thoughts.

"There's a lot of work we have to do, right now."

Alec woke up on a hard cement floor completely sore. He had a terrible headache and tried to stand up, but his head hit the top of something only to make his headache worse. He returned to a kneeling position and looked around. 

He was in a cage. He was in a cage. Again. Only this time, he wasn't hanging in the air like he had been before when White had caught him. It looked about four feet high and was really cramped. He was going to kill Cece when he found her. What the hell is going on? He tried to loosen the bars, but the steel they were made of wouldn't budge. He pounded against the bars furiously knowing that it wouldn't help. 

He looked around seeing a few folding chairs, a low table, a television, and numerous crates around the warehouse. A door opened and he turned to look at who entered. It was Cece with Agent White. 

"Ah, 494, good to see you awake. Who knew you'd be out for an entire afternoon because of a few stun guns?" Agent White said, an evil smile gracing his lips.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Alec asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He tried to look as menacingly as he could, but he was in a cage after all.

White only laughed. "473 was kind enough to lead us to you. The X-series have been a very hard crowd to catch lately," he said, giving an appreciative glance at Cece.

"What do you want with me?" Alec asked.

White laughed harder this time. "My, aren't we chauvinistic. You think you have something I desire? You are just one of the many freaks we need to destroy. Our past history, however, makes this catch all the more…satisfying. 

"So kill me already," Alec dared. He'd rather die than be stuck in a cage like an animal.

"No, we're going to transport you to our facility where we can study you," White replied, a smile on his face once again. "Hope you enjoy your stay." He left then through the same door, leaving Cece to guard the cage. She sat down and turned on the small television. 

A shiver ran down Alec's spine at the thought of being probed and dissected... again. He thought all of that was in his past. "Cece, why are you doing this?" he asked. She had to understand what this whole thing was doing to him. She had gone through the tests and probing just like he had. 

"White caught me, Alec. This is just survival now," she replied coldly, still watching the television.

"Survival? You honestly think this prick is gonna let you go after you do whatever dirty work he makes you do?" Alec asked angrily.

Cece tore her eyes away from the television and looked at him. "I don't have a choice," she replied.

"There's always a choice," he insisted, gripping the bars in front of him with anger. Suddenly he remembered Kris and how she had said when she was yelling at him for sleeping with the woman in front of him. Kris was dominating his psyche so much that he was even using her phrases. 

"I'm doing what you did when you got caught by White," she retorted. "So don't go taking the moral high-ground and pull all this guilt shit. You didn't do any better."

Alec sat back in the cage, a pained but furious expression on his face. "I'm not that person anymore," he said gravely.

Cece looked at him and began laughing hysterically. "Alec, don't kid yourself. You think that falling in love with some uptight bitch and all that fluffy shit will honestly change who you are on the inside…deep inside? I mean, you showed me just a month ago that you have…baser instincts than that," Cece said, giving him the once over as she licked her lower lip. 

Alec didn't reply. He didn't look at her. 

White came back into the large warehouse-like room. "We're transporting tomorrow night. Are you excited, 494?" he teased maliciously, bending down so he could be eye-level with Alec.

Alec didn't reply again.

"What's wrong? Nothing to say? No sarcastic remarks? How odd. 494, I expected you to put up more of a fight than this," White said, mildly disappointed. 

Alec evened his breathing, trying to calm the rage that was boiling within him. All he needed was one weakness on White's part and he could try to get out of this mess. He just had to be patient. They wouldn't take him to some lab. He would gladly die instead.

"Hm, well, we can try to get a reaction out of you," White mused. He motioned over two of his men who had makeshift electric paddles made from hairbrushes. Every time they rubbed them together, sparks from the brushes would fall onto the ground. Alec could tell from the readings on the machine that it was on a high voltage. He unconsciously gulped. Yes, he was trained to deal with torture from sadistic pricks like White, but that didn't mean it didn't affect him. That didn't mean he didn't feel the pain. 

Cece looked a bit alarmed. "Is that really necessary?" she commented, trying to sound as casual as possible. She really didn't want to see Alec cooked, she liked the guy after all. 

White looked annoyed and turned around to face Cece who was sitting in the chair still. "I didn't ask for you to speak. In fact, why are you still here?"

Cece's eyebrows raised slightly with surprise. "Are you saying I can leave?"

White paused before saying, "No." Two other Familiars pulled Cece from her chair and was going to escort her to the car to take her to the laboratory for dissection, but as soon as she realized what was happening she screamed and fought. She managed to fight them off for a while, punching and kicking furiously. White watched with an amused, sick smile on his face. Finally he took out a gun and shot Cece. Alec gripped the bars of his cage as he saw Cece's body jerk back and then fall to the ground, dead. He looked up at White furious and shocked. Sure he hated Cece with a firry passion, but he didn't want White to kill her.

"She was getting on my nerves," White said flippantly as the two Familiars who were fighting Cece dragged her body away. 

Before Alec could even process what had just happened he felt volts of electricity surge painfully through his body. He screamed with agony and then suddenly it was over. He collapsed onto the warehouse floor, twitching uncontrollably in the aftermath of the pain. 

A cell phone rang. Alec realized that he didn't have his cell phone anymore and looked up from his prone state at White who was holding it in his hand. 

"Ah, look at this. Kris is calling you," White said, amused, as he looked at the Caller ID. 

Alec's heart stopped beating for a second, he swore it did. Through the pain and confusion, a single question came forth. Why was she calling him? And then he got furious. 

"Don't you dare talk to her," Alec warned as he still twitched. 

White had a hard time keeping a straight face as he looked at the jerking animal in the cage giving him a warning. "You forget who's the one in the cage," White teased. He pressed the "talk" button on the cell phone. 

Kris sat on the couch and watched a movie. She wasn't really watching the movie though. Her eyes shifted to the phone for the fiftieth time that day and the thousandth time that month. She wanted to hear his voice. God, she was being pathetic. But she really wanted to hear the smirk in his voice and how his voice cracked every so slightly as he said 'I love you' to her. A soft smile spread across her lips. She missed him.

And a phone call wasn't a really big deal. The conversation could probably be light and maybe a bit flirty. It would just open the doors again, get them talking. Maybe they could start over. No, Kris didn't want to start over, she just wanted to talk to him. 

She stared at the phone again and quickly grabbed it, dialing the number before her resolve failed her. 

"Hello, Kris," the voice on the other end said. It was a cold, arrogant voice. 

"This isn't Alec," she replied, not knowing what to say. Where was Alec?

"Very observant."

"Who the hell are you?" Kris asked angrily.

"Aw, Kris, you don't remember me?"

Kris' mind raced as she thought about who the person could be. And then it hit her. Memories flooded her, and she could barely breath. 

"White," she croaked out. 

She could almost hear him smile that evil smile. "Very good."

"Where's Alec?" she asked angrily, unable to keep the fear from seeping into her voice.

"He's a bit…preoccupied at the moment," White replied.

"Damn it, White! What are you doing?" Kris cried out over the phone. 

Alec could hear the tinny sound of her voice over the phone as she shouted at White. She sounded so scared. He hated White for making her so scared.

"Now, now, you don't want to say anything that might jeopardize 494's well-being, do you?" White teased, looking at Alec with an amused expression on his face. He was enjoying torturing Kris. 

"For all I know, Alec could be dead," she spat back over the phone. As soon as she said those words, she regretted it. The image of a bloody, beaten, and dead Alec flashed into her mind and she almost dropped the phone with fear. It was too much like that dream she had so many months ago. 

"Well, I guess I'll just have to convince you otherwise," White replied, looking at Alec. "Say something to her, 494," he commanded, holding the phone away from his ear. If Alec said something loudly, Kris could have heard him faintly.

But instead, he said nothing. 

"C'mon, I'm being generous here. You'll never see her again, might as well say something," White reasoned.

Alec remained silent. He didn't want Kris to know he was there, in pain. It would be too upsetting for the both of them.

"You liar, I don't know how the hell you got Alec's cell phone, but you are a pathetic son of a bitch," Kris said angrily as she continued to pace her apartment furiously. 

All of the sudden she heard a scream from across the phone line. A pained, groaning scream. She gasped and almost dropped the phone. It was unmistakable. It was Alec. 

"Stop it! Please!" she screamed over Alec's scream. 

White smirked and waved his goons with the makeshift electroshock paddles off Alec's stunned body for the second time. He felt so numb and cold. 

"So, you can see, I wasn't lying," White replied.

"What do you want?" Kris asked desperately.

"Well, you were the one who called. I should be asking you that," White said, looking at the shivering Alec. 

"Just wanted to talk to him," Kris said softly as she leaned against the back of her couch thinking about what was happening. "So answer my question now. What the hell do you want?" she added, growing angry again.

"Why don't you come by the warehouse on 558 Mayfield? We'll talk face to face about this whole thing. Don't come with anyone, be here in an hour," White suggested. White had difficulty suppressing how exciting it was to talk to Kris on the phone. This situation was just getting better and better. 

Kris scoffed. "Like hell I will. What guarantee do I have you won't hurt Alec? Or kill him? Or that you won't kill me since I killed Sean?"

"None." 

The phone line went dead. Kris tried calling back and got Alec's voicemail. 

She cried out to no one in particular and threw the phone against the wall, shattering it. She fleetingly thought that she would have to buy another phone. Perhaps she would invest in a cell phone...what the hell was she thinking? 

She felt goosebumps raise on her arms and legs as she shivered from the cold inside of her. She couldn't feel her fingertips, they were numb with cold. She just stared at the broken phone for a few moments before snapping out of her comatose-like state and heading to the door. She stopped as she reached for the handle. She should be thinking about this more. She was heading into enemy territory, into an obvious trap, something Alec worked so hard to keep her away from. She was knowingly entering some version of hell on earth. Alec's scream reverberated in her mind. No, she was already in a hell on earth. 

What other choice did she have but to go to the warehouse and see White? She had no leverage, she had to play by his rules. She had no clue why White wanted to see her after she killed a Familiar. Perhaps he wanted to have the pleasure of torturing her or seeing her horrified face as he killed Alec. She didn't know, she didn't understand. She hated the fact that White knew she would come even though she didn't understand why.

Somewhere along her internal reverie in front of the door, the door burst open showing an out-of-breath Logan and an overly-alert Max. 

"Kris, we have to talk to you," Logan said urgently.

Kris snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the pair. They were together again. That was good. She doubted she and Alec would ever be together again. 

"I have to go see White, he has Alec. He said for me to come see him. I have to go now," Kris said distantly, distracted.   
Neither one looked really surprised by this news. 

"Not before you hear what we have to say," Max said firmly. 


	27. Hell Breaks Loose

"Aw, why so glum, 494?" White asked Alec almost an hour later.

Alec didn't respond. He just glared at White, emoting all his feelings of hatred towards the Familiar.

"She'll be here in a few minutes if she knows what's good for you," White commented dryly.

"Why do you want her?" Alec asked finally. The only reason he could think of was to kill her. She killed Sean, therefore White would kill her. And Kris would come because White had him. Alec gritted his teeth.

"That is none of your concern," White said dismissively.

"If you hurt her..." Alec didn't bother finishing the sentence. White already knew the rest of what Alec would say, it was what anyone in love would say. He laughed.

"My, my 497. You _are_ rather attached to her. How touching," White sneered.

Just then the doors opened and two burly Familiars escorted Kris into the warehouse. They had firm grips on her arms. Alec just looked at her, so many thoughts zooming around in his head.

"It's so good to see you, Kris," White said smiling.

She looked calm and collected. Alec watched the scene carefully. She hadn't glanced at him once since coming within a few feet the cage.

"Get your hands off of me," she said angrily to the two men holding her as she turned her neck to face one of them and pulled out of their grasp.

She faced White again and barely looked at him before he slapped her hard, throwing her to the floor.

"You son of a bitch!" Alec screamed from his cage.

Kris got up slowly, flexing her jaw and looking furious.

"_I _was talking to you," White said as he gripped her hair and pulled it back hard, exposing her neck.

"It's not good to see you," she retorted, her hair still in his grip.

He threw her to the ground again, and she slowly sat upright on the floor, ignoring the pain. White wouldn't kill her, she knew this now.

"Get up, Kris," White ordered.

She got up and looked at him. "I'm so glad I had such a lovely welcoming," she said sarcastically.

Alec looked down because he was smirking with amusement. Here she was, completely alone and at any moment White could just kill her yet she was showing spirit. She was amazing.

White looked as though he was going to hit her again, but opted not to.

"So, why did you want me to come?" Kris asked, feigning innocence of her vital role for the Familiars.

"To negotiate for the well-being of your beloved 494, of course," White said as though it were obvious.

"His name is Alec," she replied evenly, looking at White straight in the eye.

Alec held his breath. That was a comment White could react violently towards.

"So what are the terms you are suggesting?" Kris asked, not letting White respond to the last comment.

"You for him."

Such as she expected, but she didn't let it on. "Why?"

"Why not?"

Kris was silent for a while. "Well, he's killed more Familiars than I have," she reasoned. "And he's a transgenetic. He stands for everything you and the other Familiars hate."

White creased his brow, honestly confused. "Are you trying to get your boyfriend killed?" he asked arrogantly.

Kris looked at him as though he was stupid. "Of course not," she replied, glancing briefly at Alec for the first time who was as confused as White was.

"Then what is the problem?" White asked.

"I just don't understand. I'm nobody, really. And he's someone you've been hunting down for a year and a half. You can see where the logic fails," Kris said.

Alec thought about it. She had a point; there didn't seem to be big enough payoff for White to let Alec go in exchange for Kris.

"The logic is none of your concern," White spat out, approaching Kris.

Kris did not flinch when he was inches away from her. "I suggest a different set of terms. You let Alec and I walk out, you leave all the transgenetics alone, and this doesn't get to the public," she replied, flashing a CD at White.

"And what is on that?" White asked.

"Everything. A comprehensive list of Familiars in the public eye. Lots of interesting people, like Senator McKinley, but I'm sure you knew that. Tells all about how you guys are in trouble and I'm your universal mate. That's why you need me. That's why you won't kill me. You guys need to fuck me and have me make your super babies," she spat out vehemently.

White frowned. "Don't flatter yourself. You may not be the only one."

"Yeah, but I'm the only one you know of. You can kill me and continue searching for someone to make your babies, but are you willing to take that chance? You may be all powerful, but you're still mortal. C'mon, White, we both know you guys are running out of time. Anyway, if Alec and I don't walk out of here in three minutes, Eyes Only will make a broadcast and we all know how entertaining those are," Kris said with a smug smile.

White looked furious. He grabbed the CD from her, broke it in half and threw it across the warehouse.

"We have copies, lots of copies," Kris warned White. White stormed over to her and punched her in the face this time, sending her flying and landing hard on the cold cement floor with a sickening thud.

Alec gripped the bars of his cage, trying to see if Kris was moving. She wasn't.

"We are not threatened, we are not blackmailed. You don't mess with us," White shouted angrily.

Slowly she began to sit up on the floor. Blood flowed from her cut lip and she wiped it off. He was losing control, Kris observed. She could hear Alec cursing ferociously at White for hitting her, but paid no attention. "I'm just suggesting that you do this. It's for everyone's benefit," she said from the ground. She seemed to be spending more time there than on her feet. She really couldn't feel the left side of her face.

"You honestly think that some broadcast a faceless coward makes will destroy us? We are everywhere. You cannot look to a sector of business, a branch in government, anywhere without coming across one of us. This little stunt you're threatening to pull won't hurt us," he replied condescendingly.

"We'll see, White," Kris said quietly, looking at him evenly. She was beyond furious if such an emotion existed. White had Alec, she loved Alec, and Alec was not going to get shipped off to a lab or die tonight - she was determined.

White was so enraged with Kris' insolence that he slapped her again. She always had a fire within her, he knew this, but she had always feared him as well. He had used this to his advantage in their previous encounters. But this time, he could not sense any fear towards him but rather pure anger. He didn't know how to react to this new change. Violence, though, was a good stalling mechanism.

"Don't you dare think you have anything worth shit on us. It doesn't matter. You take a few of us down, there will be more, generations more."

"Not if you don't continue deceiving these women to fuck you and then killing them once they make your God damn babies!" Kris said furiously. This all would end tonight. No one should have to go through what she had to. These Familiars took away her innocence, her trust, her heart, and when she finally gained back the last two with the presence of Alec in her life, they were going to take him away from her as well. No, this ended tonight.

A little alarm went off on the watch Kris was wearing.

"It's too late now for you," she replied softly, looking at the television.

__

"This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in the city," the two eyes on the screen said. All eyes in the warehouse were now glued to the television set. Alec listened attentively to Logan's voice from his cage. He couldn't believe this all was happening. _"A secret cult known as The Familiars has been in existence for thousands of years, breeding with unsuspecting women genetically capable to create offspring with superhuman capabilities. They have extremely heightened senses, increased strength, longer endurance, all the things that transgenetics have. It is a time-consuming process where only a handful of the children born have these capabilities. They then kill the women and inferior babies and raise the genetically enhanced children in a secret location to continue the traditions." _ Pictures of dead women littered the screen along with the house that Max had rescued White's son from. _"They look just like everyone else and have infiltrated every part of our society." _Photos of celebrities, government officials, CEO's, and other important people flashed onto the television. _"They are responsible for the mysterious disappearance of Lydecker, the head official of the now destroyed Manticore." _A picture of Lydecker's crushed car appeared on the screen. _"Manticore was created by a Familiar named Sandeman who developed a way to accelerate the process of genetic improvement this cult values. He created the transgenetics. Now the government, headed by the Familiar named Senator McKinley is attacking these transgentics not because the transgenetics are dangerous or a threat to society in general, but because they stand for a bastardized version of themselves. They are exposing these people who are just trying to make a living, not wanting to harm anyone. So, I will return the favor. Here is a list of over ten thousand Familiars worldwide, most of them involved in some powerful aspect of our society." _A list of names scrolled down the screen. _"At this very moment they are holding a transgentic hostage in the warehouse on 558 Mayfield here in Seattle as bait for a woman to give herself over to them. What they are doing is unacceptable. With this exposure, they will be dealt with accordingly, I promise you this. This has been a streaming freedom video bulletin by Eyes Only...Out."_

Everyone in the warehouse was silent for a second before chaos broke out. But it wasn't from within the warehouse. Before White could react to anything he heard, an Aztec SUV broke through the tinny warehouse doors and people dressed in black and camouflage came down ropes from the ceiling widows. White began barking orders to his men to fire at these attackers, baffled by the fact that they were even able to penetrate his guards outside. However, he underestimated the sniper abilities of Mole who was able to take out the Familiars surrounding the exterior of the warehouse easily with neat bullets to the head. The Eyes Only report was so distracting that White hadn't been able to hear the small sound of the silencer on Mole's weapon. Familiars rushed into the room, Kris could count fifteen of them. The transgenetics were outnumbered by six.

She didn't have time to reflect on that further when she realized that one of the Familiars was grabbing her and pulling her to her feet. She struggled, screamed, and fought, but she was unarmed and her struggles were like shooting a killer whale with a water gun. Suddenly a bullet whizzed very close to her head and struck the Familiar between the eyes. His blood trickled down his face and Kris jumped back, pushing the dead man away from her. She looked behind her quickly and saw Mole smile wryly at her before heading off to his next victim. Gaining her wits, she snatched the Familiar's gun and ran over to the cage holding Alec, carefully avoiding bullets along the way. She reached the cage and shot the lock off with the gun, freeing Alec. He leapt out of the cage and immediately flattened Kris to the ground as a bullet flew by that would have hit her in the torso. As Kris lay on the warehouse floor with Alec's face as her ceiling, she panted heavily and locked eyes with him.

"I can't protect you here," Alec said quickly.

"You already have," Kris replied giving him a small smile.

For one second, they were in their own little world where only the two of them existed. She looked up into eyes that she hadn't really seen in a month, stirring up deep feelings she had tried to suppress. And suddenly it was over. They were lying on a cold cement warehouse floor with bullets whizzing everywhere around them. Alec quickly got off of Kris and lunged at a Familiar approaching them.

Kris ran to the Aztec that was being defended by Logan and a few X-6's that she didn't recognize. She crouched down, using it as a defense against the onslaught of bullets. She aimed a shot towards the head of an approaching Familiar and he went down. Another one came towards the car and Logan and her shot at him, but he wouldn't go down until a few more bullets were in him. It reminded Kris of those Pre-Pulse zombie movies where the characters would shoot the monsters but they would just continue their advance. It felt weird to be killing these people, but she would worry about that later. She figured it was better them than her. Soon, however, she was out of bullets and there were no more guns left in the SUV to use.

She swore and momentarily dropped her guard. She felt arms snatch her up from behind and place a firm arm grip under her throat, almost choking her. It was White. She cursed her stupidity, yet it didn't make any sense because The Familiars need her, right?

"Nobody move!" White yelled as he held a knife to Kris' throat.


	28. The Blood That Binds

****

Author's Note: Hi everyone! This chapter is shorter than most others, but I felt that the content had to stand on its own, so I didn't want to add anything else. I'm working on the next chapter now, so it should be up (hopefully) very soon. Thanks for all the supportive reviews, please continue to review. The story is winding down...

Kris fleetingly wondered why White was holding a knife to her when he could easily snap her neck with a thumb and forefinger if he wanted to. But then again, White did always have a flare for the dramatic - brass knuckles on Alec for example - why not have a knife to Kris' throat? Max looked away from her hand-to-hand combat with a Familiar that didn't seem to be very successful on her part. Alec was fairing slightly better in his unarmed state, but quickly stopped fighting once he saw what White was holding onto. All the other transgenetics ceased, realizing that their friend was being held hostage.

"Let her go," Alec said in a furiously low voice. It made Kris uncomfortable to hear it, but White seemed amused.

"You must come up with a better line than that, 494," White replied, crazed. In a matter of a few moments his cult that was his family, had been exposed, some of his workers were killed, the police would be coming soon to the warehouse, and he lost the upper-hand in negotiating with Kris. It was all her fault. Why shouldn't he kill her?

Alec remained silent, glaring at White with unchecked ferocity.

"This doesn't make sense, White, and you know it," Max said, alluding to the fact that White really should not kill Kris because of her greater importance to the Familiars.

"Yes, well, that was before all this shit happened, isn't it?" he gritted out, tightening his grip on Kris so much that she could feel the blade dig into neck. She winced as her neck was cut and prayed that the pain would subside quickly. She could feel drops of liquid trickle down her neck, knowing that it was her own blood.

Alec saw Kris' blood ooze down her throat and cringed. What now? What was he supposed to do? This was all his fault. He momentarily slipped into that depressed state where he blamed all of the world's troubles in himself, but then snapped back out of it. He focused on the trail of blood falling down Kris' neck and collarbone. He focused on the pending fight between him and White. He focused how much he had to make White pay for everything or at least die trying.

"Uh oh, 494, what are you going to do now?" White taunted and gripped Kris tighter. "I seem to have the most important card..."

"You are so full of it," Kris jumped in, disgusted.

"What did you say?" White seethed.

"You have the most important card?" she asked incredulously. "Please..._I_ have the most important card. My life. You need me alive. But if you're so full of it that you wave this knife around to try and piss off Alec so when you fight him, you can have some upper hand because he would be fighting with emotions. But if you were going to kill me, you would have already. The point is that even though we just screwed you over, you still need to continue on. I doubt this is the first time in The Familiar's thousands of years of existence that there was a setback. You guys survived this long because you have a drive to survive. You'd be going against your very core if you kill me. You'd be damning yourself and all of your family. And so this whole thing is just for show so you can have an advantage over Alec. Which shows that not only are you full of it, but you are a cheat because you're trying to mess with Alec's head."

Kris had no idea if what she was saying was making any sense, but she was terrified. She didn't know if what she said was true, but she needed to try to antagonize White like he was antagonizing Alec because it wouldn't be fair otherwise. Alec wouldn't stand a chance if his whole mind wasn't set on fighting. She knew she was being ridiculously reckless. She knew she was asking for White to hurt her, and she was so scared because she didn't know how badly he would hurt her. She didn't want to die, but she would die before she went with White. She would die before she let White win an unfair fight against Alec.

White chuckled menacingly. "You think you have me all figured out, don't you? Well let me tell you, little girl, you have no idea who you are messing with."

"Oh, you mean an arrogant coward?" she retorted.

White became enraged and threw her onto the floor. She was too perceptive. He wanted her away from him. In his fury, he didn't realize that his knife had sunk deeper into her skin and sliced across her neck. This gave Alec the momentary advantage as he rammed into White with a growl.

She landed hard on the concrete, blood everywhere, her blood. It felt indescribably painful and she gasped for breath as she held onto her neck to try to stop bleeding. Blood spilled over her fingers and onto the cement floor and she began to feel faint. Utter chaos resumed around her now that she was not White's hostage, but she couldn't move - she was so distracted with the blood. How could she watch herself lose so much blood? She felt like she was going to vomit with nausea and confusion and fright. Suddenly she felt hands pick her up and she didn't have the strength to fight. She looked and saw it was Logan half-dragging her to the far side of the Aztec and prop her up against the car door. Logan took a towel out of the back of the beaten Aztec and pressed it firmly against her neck, but it was hard to press it firmly when she had to try to breath. She was so scared.

"Alec," she cried out in her dazed and shocked state.

"He's a little busy right now," Logan said, stroking her hair and trying to comfort her.

She began to tear. She couldn't cry. She was so very scared. So this was how it was going to end. But she couldn't die without telling him...

"Alec..." she moaned softly before everything went black.

His body made full contact with White's, throwing them both onto the floor. Alec punched White twice, but White seemed to not notice. White grabbed Alec's shirt and threw him off of his own body and across part of the warehouse. Alec's body made a sickening thud when it came in contact with the cement of the ground. White approached Alec's prone form with a haunting arrogance, as though he knew he would win this fight.

Alec tried desperately to think of a way where he could fight White when he was at the extreme disadvantage because White couldn't feel pain. Alec could feel the impact of landing on the concrete floor vibrate throughout his body and knew that he could not stand up to too much of that kind of abuse if he wanted to stay alive.

Before White came within arms distance of Alec, Alec swiped his feet around the floor, causing White to lose balance and fall. That was basically all Alec could do - make White lose balance - because no other forms of attack that would cause pain would work against White.

Alec quickly got up, but so did White. White looked annoyed, but uninjured. Damn. They sparred for a while, hitting, blocking, kicking, dodging as if in one of those choreographed fight scenes from one of those old kung fu movies. Alec was getting a little tired while White looked unfazed.

"How long can you do this, 494? Cuz I could go all night," White taunted.

Alec didn't punch harder because he knew it wouldn't have made any difference. He refused to take the bait, but instead bided his time, waiting for one weakness on White's part that would lead to Alec going in for the kill. But in the meantime, he took White's big punches and forceful kicks. The pain really began to sink in, even with the adrenaline rush that was supposed to mask it.

But he refused to give up, to back down. White had screwed with too much. Alec didn't even know if Kris was still alive. She could be dead. That thought didn't destroy him at the moment but only encouraged him to fight faster, more efficiently, keeping White off balance often enough to have a slight breather between sparring matches. If she was dead, then he wouldn't let it be for nothing. That was all he could do for her if that were the case.

"Looking a little tired, 494," White teased as Alec spat out a mouthful of blood. Alec had heard the crack of some part of his body a little while before and knew that wasn't a good sign either.

_Let him talk_, Alec thought. _Let him think that he has me at the ropes. Let him get careless and create an opportunity for me. Just hold out a little longer...please..._But how much longer was the question. Alec knew White saw that his kicks were getting sloppier, his punches not at powerful. He couldn't think clearly with the pain from the fight and the underlying fear about Kris' fate. He couldn't breath very well anymore either. __

Then Alec saw it.

He had just kicked White so hard that White lost his footing and began to fall backwards to the floor. Alec spun around swiftly to the back of White and kicked at his knees, pushing White forward. White was momentarily disoriented at the sudden change of momentum from backwards to forwards. Alec used this confusion to grab White quickly by the head and twist it forcefully to the side, breaking White's neck.

White was dead before his body landed on the floor.

Alec stared tiredly at the prone body on the floor before collapsing himself. His legs could no longer support him, his arms felt like lead.

"Alec!" someone cried out, but it wasn't Kris. Why wasn't it Kris?

Max ran over to him after finishing off the Familiar she had been fighting. Alec hadn't noticed that everyone else but him seemed to have gotten rid of the Familiars either by fighting or by guns a while ago. She swung his arm over her neck and half dragged him to the Aztec. Max propped Alec up on the side of the beaten car to get a better look at him.

Blood oozed from several open wounds on his face and made trails down his cheeks to his neck to his shirt collar. Sweat mixed with the blood, spreading it more around his face. His knuckles were raw and bleeding. Scraps were all over his arms. His breathing was ragged.

"Kris," Alec whispered out in a pained voice.

"Shh...we have to get you in the car. We're taking Kris to the hospital right now," Max explained, helping him into the car. Kris sat in the back seat with Logan supporting her neck as blood leaked out of her wound, soaking a white towel red She wasn't moving.

"No!" Alec croaked out, trying to get to her.

"Easy, Alec. She's alive. Max, switch with me, I'll drive," Logan said.

Max nodded and in a flash Logan was in the front seat, whisking them to the ER as Mole and the other transgenetics escaped from the warehouse before the police arrived. They had lost three transgenetics in the fight but had successfully killed all the Familiars there. Now that the Familiars were exposed, no one knew how the Familiars would respond. But for now, they were pushed underground. For the moment Logan, Max, and Alec's concerns focused on Kris. She had lost too much blood.


	29. Kisses to Hold Them Over

Max stared blankly out the window, watching the dark clouds roll over Seattle in preparation for evening rain. Her arms were crossed as she stood there, silent. The only thing she was sure of now was that it would rain tonight. Earlier this afternoon it was chaos and now everything was unknown.

Logan wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her exposed neck. He rubbed her shoulders gently. Max didn't seem to notice at first, and then she relaxed back into his body, exhaling as though releasing the tension she had been feeling for the past year. It was such a weird feeling to not know what was to come. It was liberating and frightening, and Max was having a hard time coping with these two feelings.

"What's going to happen?" she asked him quietly.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, the stubble on his chin grazing her bare skin lightly as he kissed her shoulder.

"White's dead, but there are others out there who want to screw with us. He's not the last one. With him alive, at least we knew who our enemy was, but now, I don't know where the shit's going to come from," Max explained.

"So you'd rather Alec not kill him?" Logan asked, confused.

"No. I'm glad that he got that bastard. But just because White's dead doesn't mean that there's no more danger. It doesn't mean that we can stop fighting," Max replied.

"I see..." Logan said pensively.

"And so what now? What do we do?" Max asked somewhat angry, turning around to face Logan, worry evident on her face.

"Hey, let's just wait it out a little, we don't have to do anything right now. The Familiars are exposed now and so they can't be as arrogant as they were before. They don't control everything and they won't be able to hide out and continue to hunt after the transgenetics. Mole was saying how the FBI had come to the warehouse a few minutes after we had gotten out of there and started a full investigation," Logan said, trying to calm her down, rubbing the sides of her arms soothingly.

"But White was part of the FBI, we don't know how many of the FBI are Familiars. They'll come after us again, they always do..." Max said sadly.

"And we'll fight back like we always do. But for now, don't worry about it. Kris is going to be okay, Alec is ok, I'm ok, you're ok. That's what matters now. Today was hell, but it's over. Just relax..." Logan said gently, threading his fingers through Max's hair. She loved it when he did that. It felt like all her worries drained down her body into a puddle beneath her feet when he massaged her scalp and played with her hair.

And he did have a point. At the warehouse she had worried that Kris wouldn't be able to get to Alec to free him. She had worried that Alec would get reckless and die. She had worried about Logan. She couldn't look after him and fight so she just had to rely on him fighting for himself. He did beautifully and she was so grateful that he was alive.

"But I'm just so tired of fighting..." Max knew it wasn't over, she didn't know if it ever would be. But at least there was a break. At least White was dead. One of the many heads of this monster known as The Familiars was cut down.

"Shh...I know, Max. But we're getting there," Logan said, kissing her forehead.

Max hugged him. "I know..." she said softly into his chest.

Logan tilted her chin up to him so that he could kiss her, a soft caressing kiss to calm her nerves. She felt so comforted as they hugged and kissed like nothing else existed. After almost three years of knowing him, she still felt jarred whenever he touched her, whenever he kissed her. It wasn't a bad feeling, but throughout her life she never imagined someone getting inside her like Logan did. She hadn't wanted anyone so close, but now she couldn't picture her life without him stirring that feeling within her.

Then Max's super sensitive nose picked up an odor. "I need a bath," she said abruptly, pushing away from Logan as the kiss became more passionate. She didn't want this to progress to a higher level if she smelled disgusting.

Logan lifted his eyebrows suggestively. His nose really hadn't picked up whatever odor Max 's had. "Really? Me too," he replied, smiling mischievously.

Max laughed, a whole hearted laugh that she only occasionally experienced lately, but most especially in Logan's presence. "Oh, well, what do you know?" she said, looking equally mischievous. She backed away from Logan, turned around, and ran to the bathroom with Logan chasing after her.

For now they wouldn't worry about the Familiars. They'd deal with whatever were to happen in the future together. They were strongest that way after all.

It was so bright. Blindingly bright, even though she knew her eyes were closed. She had such a headache. She winced and opened her eyes. She stared at a stark white ceiling for a few moments. Hospital, she was in a hospital. How did she get there? And then everything rushed back to her. Calling Alec, hearing White, Max and Logan telling her all that shit, going to the warehouse, getting the shit kicked out of her by White, the Eye's Only broadcast, Alec fighting, White with the knife, hurting her...

She tried to feel the knife wound on her neck, but all she felt was a dull ache. She must have been drugged up on morphine or something equally as wonderful for the pain. She had an IV stuck in her arm and her throat felt like sand was shoved down it. She felt someone holding her hand. Slowly she turned her head, aware of the absurd amount of bandaging that was around her neck. 

She looked over at her side and smiled. Alec was sleeping, actually sleeping, his head resting on her bed as he gently held her hand. She took one of her fingertips and moved some of Alec's hair out of his eyes. She could see that his left eye was still bruised and there were deep cuts on both sides of his forehead. But he was alive, and so was she...for the most part. Water though, was of the essence.

Alec stirred and snuggled his nose closer to her body, tickling her. She tried to laugh, but her throat was so dry that it came out more like a rasping cough. Alec woke up immediately and looked shocked.

"Kris!" he said, surprised but relieved. She had been asleep for two and a half days. She had lost so much blood and needed the rest. Max had tried to convince the doctors to give Kris her blood, but the doctors wouldn't give Kris unscreened blood. Max was furious and during visiting hours, as Alec kept watch outside, Max attached an IV between them and gave Kris some of her blood. Alec had wanted to give Kris his blood, but he had lost so much during his fight with White that Max refused to let him. Besides, Max wanted to do something for Kris, who had given her so much. The doctors had said that it might take a week for Kris to wake up, so perhaps Max's blood sped up the healing process.

"Water," Kris croaked out. Her lips were dry and white and her eyes were rimmed with dark circles. There were remnants of huge purple splotches on her cheeks where White had slapped her to the ground. It looked as though she had been through hell.

Alec nodded eagerly and helped her drink some water out of a cup he had prepared that morning on the occasion that she would actually wake up later that day.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her softly as he stroked her forehead lightly with his thumb after she was hydrated.

"Tired. Numb. I have a headache," she sighed.

Alec smirked. "I'm not surprised. You've been out for two days. Your neck is all bandaged up so try not to move it too much. You'll probably have some scarring."

"It doesn't matter," Kris said dismissively. She was just so thankful that she and Alec were alive. "How do you feel? You look all beat up," she whispered, lightly touching a bruise on his cheek that looked fresh. If the bruise hadn't faded in two days, then he must have been hit terribly hard.

"I'm fine. Don't look all concerned. I've been through worse," he said casually. He figured he'd avoid telling her about the cracked ribs and dislocated shoulder until later. They would heal in a week after all.

"White?" Kris asked.

"Dead. I killed him," Alec explained, stroking her hair out of her face.

Kris exhaled. "Oh, thank God."

"No, thank Alec," Alec teased.

Kris looked at him sleepily but incredulously. "That too." She gulped, "Alec, I was so scared when I heard White on your phone. I didn't know..."

Alec hushed her, not wanting to relive that day ever again. "It's okay, it's okay. Shift over a little," he said soothingly, getting off the chair as Kris moved to the other edge of the bed so Alec could balance himself precariously on the small hospital bed to hold her.

She buried her head into his chest and squeezed her eyes shut, partially from the headache and partially from relief she felt that he was alive. He ignored the pain shooting through his torso and his arm as he laid down on his side, intertwining their fingers.

He had tried so hard to protect her by staying away, but she still chose to confront White to protect him. She was willing to sacrifice herself for him - Alec really didn't understand how much Kris loved him until then and how much he hurt her by sleeping with Cece. But maybe he could have another chance with her, maybe he could do better this time around. Because being apart wouldn't work - they weren't safe nor were they happy.

He kissed her temple softly. "I'm so sorry for Cece. I'm so sorry for dragging you into my ridiculous life."

She shook her head and held his hand. "You didn't drag me, I walked in. But everything is relative. After I saw you in a cage and a psycho held a knife to my throat, an obsessive woman seems so trivial," Kris commented.

"Cece is dead, White killed her," Alec said.

"Shit, I hated the woman but I didn't want her murdered," Kris replied.

"She baited me. She's the reason White had me in a cage."

"I take that back then," Kris said quickly turning angry and gripping Alec's fingers a little harder.

Alec smirked. "You're so protective of me," he commented teasingly.

"Do you blame me? When I'm not around, you get into so much trouble..." Kris replied.

"Then I guess I need to keep you around," Alec replied, feigning casualness.

"You guess? Please...spare me the arrogance," Kris bantered back.

Alec chuckled. "I missed you." He nuzzled her face affectionately but tentatively because despite what they had just been through, they were still officially broken up. She responded to his nuzzles gently. That encouraged him to be a little more daring with his speech. "I was completely celibate for an entire month."

Kris laughed lightly. "Poor baby," she cooed jokingly. "I see what I'm good for."

"Uh huh, keeping me out of trouble, starting fights with crazy Familiars and amazing sex," Alec quipped, still nuzzling her. "The first two seem like a contradiction."

"No, I only start fights because I'm not around in the first place to keep you out of trouble. But you're good at fighting...and sex, so I guess it works out in the end," she replied with a smile.

Alec grinned widely. "I guess so..." He propped himself up on an elbow to look at her more carefully. She had lost weight since he had last seen her; probably she wasn't taking good care of herself. The white hospital garb accentuated how pale she was, minus the areas that were slightly purple from White's abuse.

But at least she was alive. As Alec waited for the doctors to tell him Kris' condition, all he could do was relive everything they had shared. The fact that he had a perfect memory only added more pain to the idea that he might lose her. He could remember every pool game they played, all the sorbet they ate, and how many nights he watched her sleep next to him. Needless to say, despite his exhaustion, he hadn't slept at all, minus the few minutes when Kris had woken up.

Kris noticed that Alec began to have that serious look on his face and wondered where the sudden change came from.

"Alec, what is it?" she asked him delicately.

"You almost died, Kris. You almost died...for me," he said sadly.

Kris pressed her lips firmly together, thinking of something to say in response. "What would you have done if it were me?" she asked.

"The exact same thing," he said firmly without hesitation.

"Well, there you go, Golden Boy. I really didn't have a choice in the matter because I wasn't going to lose you to some sick bastard like that. Especially not before you knew that I forgive you and that I love you...so much," Kris said, her voice cracking with the onslaught of tears.

"Kris...I love you too," Alec said, his voice breaking just a bit like it always did when he said that to her. She couldn't stop crying. "It's okay now, it's over, I'm so sorry, Kris, it's okay, it's over..." he said softly as he held her. He kissed her gently all over her face as he murmured those words again and again. She cried for a while, a mixture of relief and fear of the unknown and more relief.

"It's not over, Alec. I'm still the universal mate of the Familiars. They'll come after me eventually."

"They might, but we won't let them take you. Logan, Max and I got your back, Kris, you know that." Alec kissed her temple. He couldn't stop kissing her.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes a little bit. "I know," Kris said quietly. She knew that they would risk their lives for her before they let the Familiars take her away, but that didn't change the fact that they probably would come after her. Something could happen beyond anyone's control and the Familiars could get to her. But she would think about that later.

Eventually she calmed down, but Alec continued to kiss her face. His lips fell upon hers and they began kissing with neither one wanting to pull away. A month seemed like such a short amount of time in terms of days and weeks. But in reality it had seemed like this expanse of time where all Kris and Alec could do was count down the minutes until they would kiss again, yet never knowing when the countdown would end. At least they knew now. The kiss became more needy, more pleading with all the pent up passion they had accumulated over the past month. However, Alec knew that this could not escalate in Kris' current condition and in the hospital, so he grudgingly pulled away.

Kris looked up at him, knowing why he had pulled away so abruptly and not arguing.

He resumed stroking her forehead, her cheeks, and tracing mindless patterns on her face just to pass the time.

"So why did you call my cell?" Alec asked, remembering his confusion when White had told him that it was Kris on the line.

Kris smiled faintly as she recalled how she had the endless internal debate about whether or not to call. She was so glad she picked up the phone.

"I just wanted to hear your voice," she said quietly, looking into his eyes with a small smile on her face.

Alec grinned charmingly, "Well, I don't think you'll be able to shut me up anytime soon," he said with mock arrogance.

Kris took that as a challenge. "Is that so?"

"Yup, you see, you are not the only one who likes the sound of my voice. I happen to find it very..."

But Alec was cut off because Kris had reached up and pulled Alec's face close to hers so that she could kiss him, effectively cutting off his narcissistic monologue.

"You were saying?" Kris asked in between kisses. These were playful, unlike their last kiss.

"Um, what?" Alec replied, in a daze as she kissed him.

Kris smiled widely. "Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, satisfied, resuming the kissing. They didn't stop anytime soon.

Author's Note: Hi all! This is NOT the last chapter, I think there will be one more that ties up any loose ends and answers some questions. I hope you liked the M/L, they're so much fun to write. In any case, I haven't started the next chapter, so I don't know when it will be ready. This chapter I rewrote a bunch of times because I just didn't like how it was coming out, but I like the finish product and I hope you do too. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	30. The Grandest of Ideas

"C'mon, people! These packages don't have little feet! They can't deliver themselves! Get out there, do work. You know, that thing I'm paying you for!" Normal yelled to his employees as Kris and Alec walked in.

Alec shook his head as he grinned. "Some things will never change," he said cheekily as he and Kris went to their lockers.

"Thank goodness for that," Kris replied.

It had been four months since Kris had gotten out of the hospital. Thankfully Normal never asked any questions regarding her two-week absence from work nor the fresh scar on her neck that was in clear view for all to see. It had been this awful, raw red color for weeks, but now it was a thin white line on her neck resembling all the other scars on her body.

Kris closed her locker after putting her lunch away and heard Alec shut his locker as well. She looked at him, smiling a bit before saying, "Ready?"

"Yeah," Alec replied as he extended a hand for her to take.

She took it and they walked towards Normal. Alec grabbed two of the packages on the growing pile with his free hand and handed one to Kris. He smiled at Normal and gave him a facetious salute as he held his package. Normal rolled his eyes and waved off the couple. Kris laughed and let go of Alec's hand so she could wrap an arm around his waist.

As they were about to head out to deliver the packages, O.C. came in.

"Hey Boo Numba Two, Soldier Boy, got plans fo this evenin'?" she asked.

Kris shrugged. Alec raised his eyes ever so slightly at Kris, though she didn't see, before giving a mischievous and, well, rather suggestive smirk to O.C.

O.C. sighed dramatically. "I meant before _that_. Soldier Boy, you one horny little foo," she said reproachfully, but with a small level of amusement.

Having missed the look Alec gave O.C., Kris was momentarily confused, before she realized what he must have silently suggested.

She nudged him hard, "Geez, Alec," she berated before blushing.

"What?" Alec asked innocently.

Kris rolled her eyes, and Alec laughed before grabbing her from behind and hugging her tightly to him.

"Anyway," O.C. started again, "Max, Logan, Sketchy and yours truly will be at _The Crash_, if you wanna swing by. We haven't all be togetha much."

Kris nodded. "Sounds good, what do you think?" she asked, looking at Alec.

"Well, I think my idea was better..." Alec started.

"Arg! You are impossible!" Kris screamed with annoyance, but with a smile on her face. She chased him out of _Jam Pony_, leaving O.C. to shake her head and sigh at the couple.

"So, are you saying that you don't like my idea?" Alec asked as they walked back to her place after work.

"What idea? Oh, you mean the one where we ditch our friends to have mind blowing sex for the entire night and early morning?" Kris asked innocently.

"Mmm, yeah, pretty much," Alec said confidently.

"Yeah, I don't like that idea," Kris deadpanned, causing Alec to stop walking and look at her with genuine shock.

Kris laughed triumphantly before pulling him close to her. "We really haven't gone out in a while with our friends. I was resting for all that time and then we got busy with stuff from T.C. and then there's always work and so I would like to go out before we do the second part of your idea," she said.

Alec smirked, "So you do like me idea..."

"After we hang out with friends, yes."

"Fair enough," Alec replied, now knowing what was in store for the night. He did miss beating Sketchy in pool and hearing O.C. keep him in line. He had spent a lot of time with Max and Logan lately, but it was always about transgenetic stuff rather than just socializing.

The past four months had been an adjustment period. At T.C., all the focus in the past had been on eluding the government and Familiars. But now half the focus was on improvement of the area since the media and government attention was on the Familiars and their millennia long deceptions. Kris and Logan tirelessly helped out at T.C. to create a homely environment rather than just a place of refuge and survival. Little things like scrubbing the walls, cleaning the grungy furniture, replacing the piping, and putting actual sheets on the bed rather than just rags improved the morale and attitudes of all who lived there. Also, all the transgenetics respected Logan immensely since he was the one who funded this endeavor. In the mean time, Alec and Max continued to help out by snatching supplies for T.C. and securing the area more from intruders.

But that didn't mean that the world had forgotten about the transgenetics. People were still scared of them, but they feared the Familiars more and began to have sympathy for the transgenetics. Perhaps it was because the Familiars willingly changed themselves into the _creatures_ that they were whereas the transgenetics had no control over their fate.

Some government officials had actually gone into T.C. to talk with the transgenetics instead of just shooting them dead. Although it was obviously a publicity ploy to capitalize on the recent surge of sympathy towards the transgenetics, it was a small step towards creating understanding between the transgenetics and the rest of the world. Luke had somehow become the unofficial spokesman of T.C. to the media. Alec thought it was a good choice considering how smart and articulate he was.

A federal investigation verified what Eyes Only had said about Senator McKinley and others being Familiars. The government was dealing with a huge fallout when people as high up as the Secretary of Defense were discovered to be Familiars. Investigations to determine which Familiars were harmless and harmful would probably go on for a year, though in Alec's biased opinion all the Familiars were dangerous. Kris had reminded him that people had thought all the transgenetics were dangerous and that wasn't the case. Alec couldn't believe that she was defending the Familiars after all that they did to her. But her only reply had been that she wasn't defending the Familiars, she hated them, she was defending anyone who was born a Familiar and chose a different path. Alec could have still argued with her over it, but he relented, knowing she would have her opinions regardless of what he said and that was okay.

Alec thought about all the changes that had happened in such a short amount of time as Kris and he entered her apartment. He didn't know what would be next.

"What are you thinking of?" Kris asked as he sat on her sofa and stretched his legs on her coffee table, and she made her way over to the refrigerator.

He shrugged. "Just all the stuff," he replied vaguely. Yet she knew what he meant because she often thought about all the changes as well.

"Me too," she replied absently as she sat next to him, opening the pint of chocolate sorbet and digging in with a spoon.

But she had more on her mind than just the normal stuff. For the past couple of weeks, she had been wanting to ask him something very important, but it just never seemed like the right time. There was work, T.C., and the wonderful benefits of being in a relationship that distracted her from this question, but she wanted to ask.

Alec gave an exaggerated pout. "No spoon for me?" he asked innocently with those puppy dog eyes.

She closed her eyes, "Ah, no, not the eyes..." When she opened her eyes, he was still looking at her with those eyes. "Fine, we'll share," she relented, although she had intended on sharing with him anyway. She scooped up a spoonful and began feeding him sorbet.

During the beginning of her recovery, Alec had taken care of her every minute. She had been drugged up on painkillers which made her feel sleepy and woozy. Alec had interpreted this as Kris regressing twenty years to where she was a baby and needed everything done for her. He bathed her, dressed her, and carried her around the apartment when she wanted to go somewhere. She grudgingly allowed Alec to do those things for her, but she drew the line at him feeding her. Granted she lived off soup for a few weeks because anything harder than that she couldn't swallow, but she was at least feeding herself.

So Alec found it ironic that she was now feeding him sorbet. He looked at her mischievously and she rolled her eyes.

"I know what you're thinking," she said, taking a scoop of sorbet for herself.

"I'm not thinking anything," Alec replied.

Kris smirked, "Good." She scooped out some more and fed him, watching him melt the sorbet in him mouth and swallow. She looked away as she blushed, thinking about his mouth melting things other than sorbet - herself for instance. How after all this time he managed to make her blush when he wasn't even trying still boggled her mind.

"I'm just enjoying this," Alec added.

Kris' features darkened momentarily. "Yeah, well, I'm just buttering you up," she said quietly, becoming suddenly fascinated with the pint of dessert in her hand.

Alec looked at her curiously. "Buttering up for what?"

She gripped the pint of sorbet tightly, her fingertips turning white. Alec noticed this and realized that whatever it was, it was serious. He gently pried the sorbet from her fingers and placed it on coffee table. He turned towards her and watched as she fisted her hands in her lap since they now had nothing to hold on to.

"Kris...?"

Kris inhaled deeply as said, "Well, I've just been thinking about this for a while and I figure I should just ask you because it seems like the most practical thing to do. I mean, there are other reasons why I'm asking you this, but I figure that we've gone through a lot, and it's a lot safer now and it's not like it makes no sense..."

"Kris?" Alec cut off. "What's the 'it'?"

"How do you feel about moving in with me?" she asked quickly without looking at him.

There were very few times when Alec was speechless. But right then he was in such genuine shock that he didn't know how to react.

She probably just scared him shitless with that question. She knew how scared he was of commitment and she knew that being committed to her was amazing alone, but she just had to push it and ask for more. She didn't want to become the suffocating and needy girlfriend. But it wasn't a completely outrageous question. For the near two years she had known him, he had spent more time at her place than at his. They slept in her apartment most nights that he didn't have to be at T.C. overnight, and she had even taken to staying at T.C. occasionally. They didn't really go to Alec's apartment too often because Alec had said he liked her place more than his. So what was the point of him paying rent on a place that he rarely stayed in? And she liked the assurance of him being there every morning and every night and sharing a bathroom with him - stupid little things that were part of living together.

But he was being silent and that wasn't a good sign.

"You know what, that was a stupid question, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Do you want more sorbet?" she asked him as she reached for the pint, undeniably embarrassed.

He stopped her from reaching the sorbet and looked at her hand. He intertwined her fingers with his and looked up.

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. He hated how when it came to anything regarding growth in their relationship, he could never sound confident when he oozed confidence in any other situation.

She became flustered. "Well, if you want more sorbet then you have to let go of my hand," she said.

"No," he said. "Not the sorbet. I want to move in with you."

It was her turn to be shocked.

"Say something," Alec urged.

"I don't want you to do something because I'm pressuring you into it," Kris said.

"You're not."

"But I feel like I am. C'mon Alec, you didn't say anything!" she replied, still flustered.

"Well, you caught me off guard," he retorted, equally flustered.

"Is this something that you want to do?" Kris asked.

"Yes." Alec had been shocked at her question because it implied such concreteness with their relationship. Yes, their relationship was emotionally concrete, but this meant it would be spatially concrete. Previously if for some reason he needed an escape, he could go to his apartment. But he had actually stopped using his apartment as an escape when he and Kris had first gotten together. However, the knowledge that he always had the option of escaping to his place was oddly comforting. But he liked Kris' place more.

He knew exactly when the change happened. It was the night she had killed Sean. They had gone back to her apartment and she had dressed his wounds and pleaded with him to sleep with her. He had refused her that, but he couldn't stay away. For days afterwards Alec stayed in her apartment for majority of the time and since then they had regularly stayed at her place rather than his. Well, except that rainy night when she had gone to his place and told him that she wanted him. But when he talked about home, he meant her place. And that was what mattered. He could take this next step. He was ready.

"But do you think it's safe to? With everything that's happened?" Kris asked.

Alec laughed. "Since when has that stopped us?"

"Are you sure?" she asked. She was giving him a way out.

"Yes," he replied, his voice not hoarse this time but rather deep and wholehearted, finally reflecting what he was feeling inside.

Kris stared at him for a moment in complete silence. Then she broke out in a wide smile and started laughing. She lunged at him and hugged him tightly.

"I love you," she whispered.

He squeezed her harder. "I love you too," his voice doing its customary cracking whenever he said that. She smiled at hearing him say those words.

She had asked very little of him in their relationship, and he was glad that he could do something to make her so happy. He squeezed her tightly in return and kissed her. The kiss grew more passionate and before Kris fully comprehended what was happening, Alec lifted her up and carried her into _their_ room.

They had lot of time before they were supposed to go to _The Crash_.

"Well, well, look who decided to finally show up?" Sketchy teased the couple as they sat down at the table.

"It was all her fault," Alec said quickly, point to his side.

Kris scoffed and rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. She liked staying in bed, what could she say?

"Uh huh," O.C. looked at the two skeptically.

"So where's Logan and Max?" Kris asked, looking around for her friends.

"Playing pool," Sketchy said. Kris followed his eyes a pool table where Logan and Max were laughing carelessly. "Which reminds me, how about a game, man?" Sketchy added, looking at Alec.

"Sketchy, you really wanna lose your money...again?" Alec looked at him skeptically as he sipped his drink.

"Hey man, we haven't played in forever. I've improved, I'll have you know," Sketchy said proudly.

Alec shrugged. "Alright," he said, getting up from the table and following Sketchy to an open pool table.

"So who won?" O.C. asked as Max and Logan returned from their game.

"Max did, but barely," Logan answered.

"Hey, winning is winning," Max retorted.

Kris laughed as Max looked at Logan triumphantly. The four friends talked until Sketchy and Alec rejoined the group.

"At least I came closer this time," Sketchy said adamantly as he handed a twenty dollar bill to Alec.

"Yeah, you did," Alec relented.

"Drinks on me," Alec said. "Well, more like on Sketch," he amended.

O.C. looked at Alec skeptically. "Since when do you go around buying the drinks? Even if it's from money you won?" It was true, usually Logan bought the drinks since he was, well, rich, or Max did from a night's winnings at the pool table.

"Well, there is reason to celebrate," Alec said looking at Kris and flashing her that charming smile.

"Oh, no, don't make me regret this change..." Kris said, putting her head in her hands to shield her eyes from that smile. It was quite a sickening smile - so perfect, so charming, so to-die-for. She actually didn't like looking at it and he knew it. She preferred the smiles he had during a tickle fight, or even that smirk when he knew he was going to get lucky with her.

"Ah, Kris, you wound me," Alec said dramatically.

"Just run along and get the drinks," Kris retorted dismissively, but not without smiling at him.

He returned her genuine smile and Kris wanted to just stare at his smile for a few more hours. He quickly got the drinks and settled back into the chair next to Kris.

"So what is this reason to celebrate?" Logan asked.

"You tell them," Alec said, nudging Kris.

"No, you," Kris insisted.

Alec inhaled and looked at his friends, "I'm moving in with Kris," he stated, a hint and anticipation and pride in his voice.

Sketchy's eyes bulged and O.C. looked genuinely shocked. Max and Logan were surprised, but seemed to suspect that would happen. Alec and Kris were, after all, completely whipped.

"Woow, man, that's intense," Sketchy said, scratching his head. "You're really ready for the whole cohabitation thing?" he asked Alec.

"Wow, Sketch, cohabitation. That's a big word, especially for you."

The friends all laughed and Sketchy shook his head, looking embarrassed.

"But to answer your question. I am ready, man," Alec said, patting Sketchy on his back in assurance.

"You sure about this Boo Numba Two? You really want his ass around _all the time_?" O.C. asked facetiously.

Kris laughed and shrugged. "He has a nice ass," she said casually.

The table erupted in laughter and Max and O.C. waved hands in front of themselves saying, "Too much information!"

When everyone settled down again, Max and Logan gave their congratulations and conversation headed down a different topic. After about a half an hour, Alec nudged Kris again.

"Hey, do you wanna play a game?" Alec asked Kris, motioning towards the pool table.

"And watch you lose? Absolutely," Kris replied, taking his offered hand to help her up.

"You're a little rusty," Alec reminded her.

"It's like riding a bike, you never forget," Kris retorted.

Logan and Max watch the couple banter back and forth, amused at their antics. Max then turned to Logan and watched him. She wondered if he wanted them to live together and if she was holding them back.

"This is pretty big for them," she said to him.

"Yeah, it is," Logan replied.

"I'm really proud of Alec. I mean, he's the guy who was fighting in rinks for money and doing other crap two years ago," Max said.

"They go well together, I've always thought. Living together will be good for them," Logan said, looking at Max.

Max looked away, uncertain now with what to say.

"Max, we're not them. I don't want to be them. I like the way we are," Logan said, as though he knew what she was thinking.

"But don't you want something like that?" Max asked.

"Sure, but when we're both ready. I like the fact that you're so fiercely independent and I like my independence too. And I like the fact that even with that, we're together." He leaned in closer to her and rested an arm over the back of her chair. "And it's not like I don't wake up with you looking at me everyday anyway," he added in a whisper.

Max laughed but soon became serious again, "I want that eventually too, Logan. Really I do. I like the idea of living together, maybe getting married, the whole white picket fence thing."

Logan smiled. "I can't believe you just said that."

Max actually blushed. "Well, it's true. But right now..."

"Max, stop. Don't explain yourself. I agree. Someday, but not today." Logan leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips to silence anymore concern about when they would live together.

"Get a room," Sketchy teased, which was met by Max slapping him in the chest. He quickly shut up and continued watching Kris and Alec play each other from his seat.

"Uh oh, look whose in trouble?" Alec chimed as he and Kris played.

Kris gave him a dirty look. "Oh shut up."

"Ah, where's your good sportsmanship, Kris?" Alec continued to tease. Kris was, actually, for the first time in a long while, losing.

"Kiss my ass," she retorted, truly put out that she wasn't playing very well. Or was it that Alec was just playing better?

"Later," Alec quipped.

Kris was about to make a retort, but Alec's comment caught her off guard. She realized that anything Alec said with sexual innuendo got her so...flustered.

"Eight ball, side pocket," Alec said, aiming.

It sank.

"Oh! Would you look at that!" Alec said proudly.

Kris frowned and sighed. "So what do you want since you won?"

Alec thought about that a long time, but surprisingly had little to ask for. It was weird to feel so...satisfied with life.

But then he heard something.

"Dance with me," he requested.

Kris looked at him quizzically. "Now that was something I wasn't expecting. We haven't done that in..."

"Fifteen months, twenty-six days, one hour and thirteen minutes," Alec supplied.

Kris shook her head and smiled. "I don't think I will ever get used to that," she admitted.

Alec smirked. "Well, then you'll never get tired of me," he replied as he took her hands and headed towards the dance floor.

"I suppose," Kris said.

Alec drew her close on the dance floor and began swaying. He hadn't forgotten how good of a dancer she was and enjoyed watching her move with him.

Then a smile crept over Kris' lips. "I remember this song," she said. It was the same Pre-Pulse song by Craig David, "Key to My Heart" that blared throughout _The Crash_ the last time they had danced together.

"See, your memory is pretty good too," he replied, never taking his eyes off her. He had to remember to dance with her more often - he was having way too much fun.

"I remember that I was so nervous dancing with you. I was feeling things that I hadn't wanted myself to feel again after Sean. That guy had been bothering me when I was dancing with O.C. and then you called me your girl. I loved that thought," Kris admitted.

Alec smiled. "I wanted you to be my girl, ever since I met you. And I was nervous too."

Kris scoffed. "You? Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"I wanted to kiss you, but I didn't know if you would like that or not," Alec replied.

Kris laughed. "Such a gentleman," she teased.

Alec buried his head in her neck and groaned with embarrassment.

Kris laughed some more and ran her fingers through his hair lightly. "We got there eventually though, after a lot of work and time," she said, wrapping her arms around Alec's neck tighter as they danced. "I'm glad we took the harder route. Made it all mean more."

Alec smiled. "This living together thing. It's gonna work," he said confidently.

"Even with the outside world constantly wanting to screw us over?" Kris asked, knowing what the answer would be but wanting assurance nonetheless.

"Oh, especially because of that. They can't control us. We'll just stick it to them all," Alec replied, kissing her softly as they danced.

Kris smiled against his kiss and returned it wholeheartedly. "Sounds perfect."

They danced together for a few more songs before deciding it was time to go back home and begin the second half of Alec's original plan. Over the time they had known each other, Alec and Kris realized that life would throw whatever it would in their path, but they were going to be together regardless. It wasn't about waiting for the storm clouds to part to begin to live life again, it was about dancing in the rain.

They intended to do a lot of dancing.

**Author's Note**: WOW, I can't believe this is the end of my story. In the beginning, I was going to stop it after Kris and Alec got together, but with all the support and my love of the story (particularly Alec) the story continued and I'm so thankful it did. I thank everyone whose read the story. With the way I ended it, I think it's assumed that there would be more obstacles for Alec and Kris, probably for the rest of their lives, but that doesn't mean they will stop living. There will not be a sequel because I have said everything that I wanted to say. Please let me know what you think and thank you for all the support!


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